Polish authorities stop bus with forged plates, suspected of migrant smuggling

Polish border guards intercepted a bus near the Belarusian border carrying migrants and equipped with forged Latvian license plates, suspected of facilitating illegal transport. The migrants, discovered during a routine inspection, had reportedly crossed the Latvia-Belarus border without any travel documents, such as visas or residency permits for the EU.

According to Latvian authorities, the individuals were subsequently returned to a border post. This incident is part of a larger trend, with Latvian border services reporting that they prevented 90 individuals from illegally crossing the border between Latvia and Belarus just the day before. Since January, Latvian services have documented over 7,500 instances of illegal border crossings from Belarus.

In response to the increased flow of irregular migrants from Belarus, Latvian authorities have extended enhanced security measures and controls in the southeastern part of the country. The situation at the border is described as increasingly difficult to manage, with authorities facing a significant challenge in controlling the influx.