Lithuania to send in help to assist Latvia in fighting illegal migration

VILNIUS - Lithuania is sending officers to Latvia to help the neighboring country fight illegal migration, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

On the order of Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic, police office and border guards are being sent to Latvia to help it deal with secondary illegal migration orchestrated by the Belarusian regime.

According to the ministry, eight Lithuanian police officers have already started their service in Latvia. Lithuanian border guards will soon also start assisting the Latvian Border Guard Service. The exact number is not yet clear.

According to the State Bore Guard Service, Lithuania is facing so-called secondary migration where foreigners who have entered Latvia illegally from Belarus travel via Lithuania and Poland to Western Europe. 352 such irregular migrants were detained in the first half of this year.