Nearly 20 migrants who illegally crossed the border into Finland were arrested and detained on Thursday. Officials said the migrants were able to apply for asylum, and Border Patrol officials claimed there was no resistance.
Finnish authorities are reported to have detained 18 people who were found in a forest north of Imatra station on the southeastern border with Russia on Thursday (January 25).
The group, which included children and adults, was from the Middle East, according to a report by Finland’s southeastern border police. All have reportedly applied for asylum in Finland.
The migrants were found in the middle of the night, hungry and cold, local border guard Jussi Vainikka told the news agency. eel.
Another border guard official based in North Korea, Commander Matti Pitcanetti, said weather conditions were difficult. “It’s cold outside, minus 10 degrees today in the region, and there’s about half a meter of snow. It’s difficult to move outside the open roads.” […and] “It’s tiring when you have to travel long distances,” he said. information migrant.
The 18 people detected on Thursday bring the number of illegal migrants crossing Finland’s southeastern border to more than 30 since the start of the year, Pitkaniti said.
This is despite the closure of all eight border crossing stations on Finland’s 1,340-kilometre border with Russia. These are measures taken by the government in response. border.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced the closure of the last open crossing on November 28, saying Finland would not accept any attempt to “undermine our security.”
The Finnish government claims that Russia is orchestrating the situation to put pressure on Finland and the EU as a whole. Russia rejected the charges.
The cold reduces their ability to move, and over time, it becomes very difficult and dangerous if you can’t find them. – Matti Pitkaniti, Finnish Border Guard
Finnish authorities say around 1,300 asylum seekers have arrived at the country’s eastern border, which is closed until February 11, since August last year. Although the number is small compared to other countries on the European Union’s borders, such as Spain and Italy, Pitkaniti says this reflects an important change for Finland.
“Usually we would have 30 cases a year at this border, and now we have cases in less than a month and under these harsh conditions.”
There have been arrests, but no backlash.
news site eel According to reports, the last time people were detained for trying to enter the country illegally was two weeks ago, when 11 Iranians crossed the border between Nuijamaa and Jotseno in southern Imatra. The group has also reportedly applied for asylum in Finland.
Illegal immigrants in Finland are arrested because crossing the border is a legal crime, but they can still apply for asylum in Finland and are generally not detained.
Mr. Pitkaniti maintains that no one should be sent back without an opportunity to request international protection, an illegal practice sometimes referred to as pushback. “We are not going to push people back to the Russian side,” he said. information migrant.
The Finnish government continues to stress that border crossings are illegal. It has received help from the European Union’s border agency Frontex, which seeks to prevent people from entering the EU through Finland and then traveling to other countries. Immigration authorities recently acknowledged that some people have disappeared from reception centers in Finland and have filed new asylum claims in countries including France, Germany and Sweden.
With DPA