The state of emergency has been extended due to the risks of illegal migration and the hybrid attacks carried out by the Belarusian regime on the Latvian–Belarusian border. The current state of emergency was in force until February 10.
The IeM said that in January 2023 a total of 321 persons were prevented from crossing the border, 5,286 in 2022, and 4,045 as of August 11, 2021, until the end of the year. According to the IeM, in November 2022, 429 cases were prevented, and 1,053 in December.
The Ministry noted that a significant factor is that Poland has completed the construction of a permanent fence along the Polish-Belarusian border, while the construction of a permanent fence is already underway on the Lithuanian–Belarusian border. Consequently, illegal migrants are directed to Latvia, where there is only a temporary fence. Consequently, it is necessary to continue to ensure the surveillance of the State border between Latvia and Belarus in a reinforced regime, including by maintaining the state of emergency.
The state of emergency on the Latvian-Belarusian border was first introduced in August 2021 and since then has been extended numerous times.
