Lithuania PM sees progress in managing secondary migration from Latvia

VILNIUS - The situation with secondary migration from neighboring Latvia is beginning to normaliZe, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said on Thursday during a visit to Latvia.

"The situation is getting normaliZed, I would consider it, from what I see in recent weeks (...). We're looking at the progress of the situation from the middle of July until now, and there is good progress," Sinkevicius told reporters in Riga on Thursday following a meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.

Latvia has recently faced significant pressure from illegal migration via Belarus. In response, dozens of Lithuanian border guards have been assisting with border surveillance and other functions in the neighboring state since July.

Kulbergs noted that while illegal migrant flows from Belarus are currently directed toward Latvia, the threat could pose a risk to other regional states over time.

"Therefore, we will always assist our Lithuanian colleagues, just as Lithuania helps us," he said.

The Latvian prime minister also noted that border control efforts aim to replace human resources with technical measures.

"There must be things implemented that normalize it to such a level that we do not spend unnecessary human resources on it," Kulbergs said.

A total of 1,288 illegal migrants transported from Latvia or travelling independently were detained throughout 2025. Meanwhile, more than 1,500 migrants were detained in the first half of this year as they attempted to reach Western Europe via Lithuania and Poland after illegally crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said a couple of weeks ago that the number of illegal migrants being returned from Lithuania to Latvia had recently halved.