Quarantine is the only reason why migrants who illegally entered Latvia and were detained have not left the asylum center in the village of Mucenieki. At present, they can be legally detained until at least September 22, but if someone else falls ill, the quarantine can be extended.
At present, the village of Mucenieki has completely changed. It looks more like a military base than a place for asylum seekers. Police, army, border guard, State Security Service - it seems that all possible force structures have gathered in Mucenieki. Patrols take place around the clock. Guard posts every 50 meters. Both the inner and outer perimeter is guarded and the area gates are closed. No one is allowed to leave. Formally - to protect the society from the dangers of Covid-19, actually - to protect the Latvian society from Islamic fanatics and possible terrorism.
In 2017, when the issue of redistribution of migrants crossing the Mediterranean across the European Union became topical, men from the military melee organization “Tēvijas sargi” went to Mucenieki for an evening walk, demonstrating their disapproval. Latvia does not have to accept migrants! This caused a great scandal and the outrage of the so-called welcomers. Now the situation has changed radically, migrants are here and welcomers are now silent. This year, about 400 people who have crossed the border by criminal means have been detained in the territory of Latvia. Mostly Iraqis. Men at the prime of their life who came through Belarus. Little green men. Of course, the number of undetected border violators is unknown, but there is no reason to believe that the border guard and the army have managed to capture all of them, since Latvia's border with Belarus is not properly established due to long-term inaction by the Ministry of Interior. It is like a sieve.
The intercepted criminals are taken for accommodation in the village of Mucenieki - on one or the other side of Jaunceltnes Street, depending on whether they have said the magic words “I seek asylum” and have not committed any other crimes apart from the unauthorized border crossing.
At present, there is no big difference between the State Border Guard's Mucenieki Accommodation Center for Detained Foreigners and the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs' Mucenieki Accommodation Center for Asylum Seekers, as both detainees and asylum seekers are prohibited from leaving the territory due to quarantine. Everyone there is essentially a prisoner. The only difference is the type of fences and security. There's a concrete wall and barbed wire around the prison, while the accommodation center has an ordinary fence around it and a yellow-marked police tape that is forbidden to cross. Migrants obviously do not respect it much, as 85 detainees have left the asylum center arbitrarily since August 12. 45 of them were later intercepted in Poland and Lithuania. They were then taken to detention centers. Migrants who started fights and riots last week were also transported across the street to stay behind a concrete wall and barbed wire. One of the security men told Neatkarīgā that these conflicts arose between two hostile clans. The fights may have been organized specifically to incite other residents of the asylum center and provoke the police.
The rioters have now been separated from others and the situation has returned to normal. At least the fences are no longer being broken down, and the security seems to be obeyed. It is also almost impossible to escape from the carefully guarded buildings. However, the police officer we spoke to did not understand why the organizers of the riot were not immediately deported from the country. Instead, Latvia will now accommodate them for months, feed them, and even give them pocket money. "If we went to Iraq, no one would give us anything there!" says the policeman. But Latvia gives. Migrants are fed, dressed, obviously in a good mood. The few women walk around the area with the children separately, many men move in groups, actively gesture, talk, listen to Arabic music, everyone has phones in their hands. Someone pours a bucket of water out the window. Many are smoking. No one seems to be paying attention to police and army officials anymore. This anthill only quiets around midnight. Ordinary everyday life in Mucenieki.
It is not clear what will happen when the quarantine in the accommodation center ends, when all the occupants will be healthy or recovered.
Theoretically, from then on, they will again have the right to leave the center, and this is dangerous for Latvian society.
The State Border Guard acknowledges that the majority of foreigners entering Latvia abuse the asylum procedure and are considered to be seekers of economic benefits. The State Security Service has drawn attention to the fact that there may be Islamic radicals among migrants, and some individuals have already been relocated to a place with a higher level of security. The Minister of Defense has acknowledged that no matter how many people Latvia grants asylum to, the Belarussian regime will organize more and more crowds of migrants to be sent to Latvia. That is the point of this hybrid attack. That is the point of these migrants. Therefore, Latvia does not have to obey Belarus. Economic migrants, and even more so the radical Islamists among them, must be sent to where they came from. Instead of warming, feeding and paving the way for them to the Western European Christmas markets.
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