Taro said that more than 40 people suspected of being in Estonia illegally have been caught in the past week.

"There was a pause for a while, but now I visited Latvia and looked at the situation. It gave me the sense that things remain complicated, which is why we decided to extend the ESTPOL mission there, to deal with the problem at its point of origin," he said.

The interior minister did not disclose the exact date until which the rotation in Latvia will continue.

"Basically, we're trying to cover the period until the cold sets in," Taro said. "Historical data usually show that once frost starts creeping across the land, it's not very comfortable for illegals to hide in the Belarusian forests, and they become harder to manage there, so the pressure usually begins to fall."

Taro said illegal migrants enter the country in waves.

"Most likely they are gathered in forest camps in Belarus and then sent across in groups, not one by one. Belarus probably considers this more effective — if they organize, for example, a mass crossing through a tunnel or over a fence, then it's usually larger groups, not one or two people. One or two people would mean random illegal migration," Taro explained.

"What we're seeing in Latvia is organized activity — organized by another state. That's why it comes in waves," he added.

Estonia has also asked Finland for help in dealing with illegal migrants.

Taro said that while the initial plan was to place Finnish border guards at the airport and port, cooperation was later expanded. "They have also come to the western and southern prefectures and taken part in combined patrols. They've checked various roads and transport points, and even inspected a coach bus, which has been very effective," he said.

All illegal migrants caught in Estonia who are believed to have arrived from Latvia are sent back to Latvia.

"Latvia has its own established procedures for how they carry out returns, so this good cooperation with Latvia continues," Taro said. "We've already handed over a fairly large share of those caught in Estonia, and preparations are ongoing all the time. Our detention center has a capacity of 255 places. At one point we reached 120 in terms of occupancy, but it has since fallen again thanks to handing over groups — we've already managed to hand over around 80 people."

Rae municipality has expressed concern that it is under heavy strain, as many migrants claim to be minors and social workers must deal with them. The interior minister said the concern is understandable, but noted that he cannot dictate how a local government organizes its work.

"This really should be discussed with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Social Insurance Board. The Social Insurance Board is the implementing agency that helps find and arrange accommodation options, so a solution definitely needs to be found," Taro said.

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