Latvia to shut one of two Belarus border crossings to stop illegal migrants

Latvian prime minister candidate Evika Silina addresses the parliament before its vote for a new government in Riga, Latvia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

RIGA (Reuters) -Latvia's government decided on Tuesday to close one of its two border crossing points with Belarus as the prime minister accused Minsk of again using illegal migrants as a "hybrid threat" to undermine the Baltic state's security.

In 2021, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania faced an immigration crisis when thousands of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, began crossing from Belarus.