In order to strengthen criminal liability for organizing illegal migration and other violations related to the illegal movement and residence of persons, the Saeima adopted urgent
amendmentsto the Criminal Law on Thursday, October 15th.
The amendments establish harsher penalties for the illegal movement of people across the state border, for organizing illegal residence, and other criminal offenses related to illegal migration.
In the most serious cases, the maximum prison sentence is increased from 10 to 12 years, and for organizing illegal residence from six to eight years.
The authors of the draft law indicate in the annotation that these criminal offences pose a direct threat to the inviolability of the state border, legal control over the residence of persons in Latvia, and national security in general.
In the current geopolitical situation, organizing illegal migration and related activities are considered a significant national security risk.
Data provided by the Ministry of the Interior shows an increase in the number of such criminal offences. In the first eight months of this year, 124 criminal proceedings have been initiated for the illegal movement of a person across the state border, while in 2025 there were 52 such proceedings, and in 2024 just 39.
In turn, 84 criminal proceedings were initiated for the organization of illegal residence in 2025, compared to 54 criminal proceedings a year earlier.
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