Estonia detains 99 illegal migrants in two weeks, disputes reported at holding facility
Estonian police have caught 99 people believed to have no legal grounds to stay in the country over the past two weeks, while officials say minor conflicts keep breaking out at the facility holding them.
Indrek Aru, head of the North Prefecture border guard bureau at Estonia's Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), said police have detained 99 people over the past two weeks who are believed to lack legal grounds to remain in Estonia.
No new cases were recorded on Thursday or Friday, but Aru said migration pressure is unlikely to ease in the coming days. Police carry out daily checks on roads entering the country, as well as at Tallinn Airport and major ports. On 4 August, around ten people from Somalia were detained in central Tallinn after being found to have no legal basis to be there.
Tensions at the detention facility
Aru said disagreements arise easily among migrants held at the current detention facility, with a fair number of conflicts recorded over the past couple of weeks. There have been instances where police were threatened, though most disputes are minor everyday friction — such as people bumping into each other in the food line, leading to pushing, or misunderstandings after someone ate another detainee's food. Police have so far managed to defuse these incidents without major difficulty.
In some cases, a person can be returned to their home country within 48 hours; in others, the process can take several years.
Police receive five to ten calls a day on average from residents reporting suspected illegal immigrants. Aru said while some tips are legitimate, people should not assume someone is problematic simply because of their skin color. He advised that calls are warranted when a person appears lost or distressed, or when larger groups seem to be wandering without purpose.
