So far this year, 542 people from 48 countries have been detained both within Estonia and at its borders.
The largest group, 111 people, came from Somalia, followed by 45 from Sudan, 43 from Ethiopia, 43 from Eritrea and 33 from Bangladesh. Another 32 people have attempted to enter from Ukraine, while significant numbers have also come from Turkey and Moldova.
Migrants often begin their journeys in Russia and Belarus where they are directed toward the Latvian, Lithuanian or Polish borders and forced to cross. Those apprehended at land borders are sent back to Russia. Those detained at airports are placed in detention centers until return flights can be arranged.
As of Sunday, Estonia had returned 120 people to Latvia this year. Another three people have been returned to their countries of origin: two to Bangladesh and one to India.
Local governments feel abandoned
According to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), Estonia is experiencing its highest level of illegal migration pressure in recent years, testing the capacity of both local governments and the country as a whole. The Social Insurance Board acknowledges that the state was unprepared for the situation and is trying to provide assistance in dealing with underage migrants. Local governments say they have not received the support they need and Rae Municipality near Tallinn is planning to take legal action.
The closest historical parallel to the current migration pressure is the 2021 Belarus border crisis. Estonia was not the migrants' primary destination at that time either and the pressure on Estonian authorities and public services was less severe than it is today.
Indrek Aru, head of the border guard bureau at the PPA's Northern Prefecture, cannot recall Estonia ever experiencing a period like the current one.
"This requires an enormous amount of resources, both from the police and from all our partners involved in handling the situation," Aru said.
He added that several partner organizations have reported raising their readiness levels and allocating additional resources to their operations.
"From the police perspective, of course, we are only human, too, and this is difficult for us as well," Aru said.
Detentions centers full to bursting
Migrants are not immediately deported after being detained. Authorities must first establish their identities and countries of origin and determine whether they qualify for international protection. Some are placed in detention centers while these procedures are carried out.
"The facility is pretty full. There are a lot of people there," Aru said. He explained that the regular detention cells are operating beyond their standard capacity, prompting authorities to open additional temporary spaces. "We've ordered extra beds for those areas," Aru said.
He noted that detainees are being provided with basic living conditions, including food, washing facilities and a safe environment. "Of course, we're also working to establish alternative detention facilities," Aru said.
Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said Estonia has not yet exhausted its capacity to handle migrants, meaning the situation can only be described as a crisis once existing resources are no longer sufficient.
"We don't have additional centers, but we do have police detention facilities," Taro said. He explained that detention facilities for illegal immigrants are available across Estonia, with several hundred spaces still vacant.
"Of course, we don't see filling those hundreds of spaces as a positive development or something we would want," Taro added.
He acknowledged that Rae Municipality has come under pressure because the country's main detention center is located within its boundaries.
Migrants claiming they're minors
Under the law, the local government in whose jurisdiction a detention center is located assumes the responsibilities of a parent, so to speak. Because migrants want greater rights and additional protection, they falsely claim to be minors.
Rae Deputy Mayor Alina Ader said that if an illegal immigrant is classified as a child, they cannot be immediately sent back.
"We still have to treat them differently, explain their rights to them and provide them with greater care, which is entirely understandable. If they really were unaccompanied children, they would be in a very difficult situation," she explained.
As a result, the municipality's child protection service has come under particularly heavy pressure.
Ader explained that the recommended ratio is 1,000 children living in a municipality per child protection worker. In Rae Municipality, that figure had already reached 1,300 before the arrival of unaccompanied minors.
"The workload was already too high before," Ader acknowledged.
She said the additional workload is now equivalent to that of two full-time employees.
"We currently have six child protection specialists. One is off work for health reasons, another hasn't been able to take any vacation since the summer and although nobody has said it outright, we're genuinely worried that someone might decide to leave," Ader explained.
Meanwhile, the state is advising the municipality to hire more staff. Ader noted that a job vacancy has been advertised for an entire month, but not a single qualified specialist has applied.
Tallinn deputy mayor: The state must take greater responsibility
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Riina Solman said the capital stepped in to help the state using its own resources after police requested assistance. She said it is unfair to place so much responsibility on local governments and that the state must shoulder a greater share of the burden.
"One state official said that the food bill alone rose from €30,000 to €100,000 in a single month," Solman said. She added that accommodation costs, medication, hygiene supplies and officials' working hours come on top of food expenses, none of which had been budgeted for.
"In fact, the Social Insurance Board and the Ministry of Social Affairs should be the ones resolving this problem and dealing with the unexpected pressure," Solman said. She added that their role cannot be limited to issuing instructions to local governments and telling them how to respond.
The Social Insurance Board acknowledges that real problems have emerged in implementing legislation that took effect this summer and that local governments' criticism is justified. The agency is prepared to take over all cases involving the representation of minors.
Kaja Rattas, head of the Social Insurance Board's substitute care unit, said the agency had not been prepared for the increase in migration or the volume of administrative procedures involved.
"The Social Insurance Board will, in any case, represent all minors in cases where the Police and Border Guard Board is conducting proceedings," she said.
Rae Municipality has submitted a request for assistance to the Social Insurance Board and Rattas confirmed that the agency is prepared to take over all cases.
"The same applies to the City of Tallinn. We do not expect the city to represent, for example, minors held at the detention center in Rae Municipality during proceedings conducted by the Police and Border Guard Board," Rattas said.
Nevertheless, Rae Municipality is considering taking legal action. Ader said the state had imposed an obligation on the municipality without consulting it beforehand or providing additional resources to fulfill it.
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