Migrants to be placed in modular housing in Medininkai next week – Lithuanian minister

VILNIUS – Migrants will be accommodated in modular housing within the territory of the Border Guards' School in Medininkai next week, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite says.

"This is the place that we will definitely start using on Monday, perhaps not on Monday specifically, bet next week. We have the capacity to house around 1,000 illegal migrants in this place," the minister told journalists in Medininkai on Friday.

In her words, first of all, migrants from frontier stations will be moved in here to free border guards up from performing non-work-related functions.

"Freeing up frontier stations where illegal migrants are now staying is our priority. Our goal is ensure that officer can do their job and migrants live where they belong," Bilotaite said.

She reiterated once again that mothers with children and those from other vulnerable groups will be the first to be moved to modular housing.

Over 4,000 irregular migrants – mostly Iraqi citizens – have walked into Lithuania from Belarus illegally so far this year. 

Lithuania has a state-level extreme situation declared over the migration influx which it says is being orchestrated by the Belarusian regime.