11 Iranians Arrested in Finland for Crossing the Southeastern Border Illegally

Finland’s Border Guard (RAJA) recently made headlines after arresting 11 Iranian nationals for irregularly crossing the southeastern border. According to RAJA, all the individuals who were detained crossed the land border and subsequently applied for asylum.

The border guard of Southeast Finland detained the 11 individuals on suspicion of state border crime in Lappeenranta on January 11, 2024. RAJA suspects that the Iranian nationals who were apprehended may have been involved in cross-border crime.

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It is believed that the group was assisted by Russian authorities to reach the territory of Finland, raising concerns about the use of migrants to destabilize the region. However, Finland’s border with Russia is currently closed, and there have been no regular border crossings so far this year.

In 2023, RAJA reported a total of 1,231,000 border crossings at the border crossing points of Southeast Finland. The Vaalimaa border crossing point recorded the highest number of crossings, with 804,000, followed by Nujiamaa with 307,000 and Imatra with 119,000.

Additionally, the Border Guard prevented 1,769 individuals from crossing the southeastern border in 2023, many of whom were citizens of Russia. The authorities also detected a high number of fake documents, including 68 fake travel documents, 28 fake vehicle documents, and 17 other fake documents.

Due to concerns about instrumentalized migration, Finland has decided to keep its entire land border with Russia closed until February 11. During this time, international protection applications are not accepted at the Finnish border with Russia. Instead, applicants must submit their requests at the designated open border crossing points.

Finland has stated that it will regularly assess its border measures and make decisions based on the current situation to ensure the safety and security of its borders. These developments underscore the importance of staying informed about travel regulations and border security measures when visiting the region.