Latvia seeks tougher penalties for organising illegal migration

Latvia’s Justice Ministry has proposed tougher penalties for organising illegal migration, with the maximum prison term for illegally transporting people across the border and facilitating their illegal stay potentially rising to 12 years, Delfi reports.

The amendments have already been submitted to the Legal Affairs Committee of Latvia’s Parliament, the Saeima, and were prepared as part of Operation “Vilkatis” (Werewolf), a Latvian operation targeting illegal migration.

Under the proposed changes, the maximum sentence for illegal border crossings would increase from three to six years, while penalties for more serious offences would rise from six to eight years and from eight to 10 years. In cases involving an enhanced border security regime or a state of emergency, the maximum sentence could reach 12 years.

Similar tougher penalties are proposed for facilitating illegal residence in Latvia and illegally obtaining the right to reside in Latvia or other EU countries.

In recent years, the highest number of criminal cases has been opened over deliberately facilitating the illegal stay of individuals in Latvia, the ministry emphasised. A total of 50 such cases were initiated in 2024, with the figure rising to 80 in 2025.

Operation Vilkatis was launched to strengthen security along Latvia’s eastern border and enhance the ability of state agencies to coordinate their response to attempted illegal border crossings and those involved in facilitating them. The operation includes reinforcing physical and technical border security, improving information sharing, and taking legal action against those responsible for illegal migration.

By Jeyhun Aghazada