Lithuanian border guards are picking up migrants who have moved on from Latvia

In 2025, Lithuania's State Border Guard Service (VSAT) detained 1,288 migrants who had initially entered Latvia from Belarus and subsequently attempted to reach Western Europe via Lithuania and Poland, compared to 540 detentions in 2024. Most migrants reportedly flew from their countries of origin to Russia using valid travel documents, then traveled by car to Belarus and crossed the border into Latvia with smugglers' assistance, before being picked up at prearranged locations and transported westwards. Others flew from the United Arab Emirates or Turkey directly to Belarus. The largest migrant groups detained were citizens of Somalia (459) and Afghanistan (162). Of the migrants traveling via Latvia, 64% were detained by Lithuanian border officers and 36% by Polish authorities. Many migrants traveled by car in groups and some attempted to use scheduled bus services with forged or no documents. Lithuanian border guards started 85 pretrial investigations into human smuggling in 2025 and detained 101 suspected transporters, mostly Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian citizens. Migrants were often allowed to move freely within Latvia while their asylum applications were under review, enabling some to continue westward through Lithuania and other EU borders. This situation is linked to increased pressure along the EU's eastern border associated with Belarus.