As part of its collaboration with the Global Detention Project-sponsored Global Immigration Detention Observatory initiative, the Vilnius-based Human Rights Monitoring Institute, issued an information request to Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service concerning key statistics and practices related to the arrest and detention of migrants and asylum seekers. Although the border guard promptly responded to the request, the answers it provided were in many cases limited. (For more information about Lithuania’s immigration detention policies and practices, see the Lithuanian detention page.)
Freedom of Information Request – Lithuania Border Guard Service Responses
Request issued on 6 June 2024 / Responses received on 14 June 2024
State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as the – SBGS)
1. How many migrants were detained in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? Please provide disaggregated statistics by gender, reason for detention and age. – Ministry is not in a position to answer the first and second questions, as your use of the term “detain” may be interpreted in different ways.
2. How many migrant minors were detained in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? Please provide disaggregated statistics indicating accompanied and unaccompanied/separated minors. – Ministry is not in a position to answer the first and second questions, as your use of the term “detain” may be interpreted in different ways.
3.a. How many people were deported and/or forcibly returned in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (excluding voluntary return)? – Question 3(a) and (b) were answered by the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania by letter No 10K- 6260 dated 14 June 2024.
3b. How many voluntary returnees were returned during 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? –
Question 3(a) and (b) were answered by the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania by letter No 10K-6260 dated 14 June 2024. (see below)
4. How many people died while in immigration detention/reception in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? – No deaths have been recorded in migration detention facilities by SBGS. (see below)
5. Are migrants detained at Vilnius Airport? If so, what is the size of the detention facilities, how long can people be detained there and what are the statistics on the number of detainees? – The Vilnius Border Guard has administrative detention rooms (2 rooms, 1 place each) at the Vilnius Airport Border Guard Station. The size of the rooms is: room 1 – 7,6 m2, room 2 – 7,4 m2. Detention is possible for up to 48 hours, but in practice it is hardly used, as foreigners are transported as quickly as possible to the Foreigners’ Registration Centre (hereafter: FRC). We do not keep statistics on persons detained at the Vilnius Airport Border Guard.
Questions related to Pabrade Foreigners Registration Centre (hereinafter referred to as the – Pabrade FRC)
1. What was the average length of detention in the Pabrade FRC in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? What was the percentage of migrants released into the community in each year? Transferred to another institution? Deported/expelled? – Duration of detention/stay of foreigners in FRCs (in days): 48.1 days in 2020, 27.4 days in 2021, 53 days in 2022 and 15.3 days in 2023. We do not collect information on foreigners released into the community.
The information on transfers from the FRC is presented in numerical terms, as it is not clear what percentage to calculate (the total number of foreigners accommodated, or the number of foreigners detained, pointing out that the FRC is not only a detention centre but also an accommodation centre for foreigners). In 2020, 38 foreigners were resettled, in 2021 – 133 foreigners, in 2022 – 76 foreigners and in 2023 – 52 foreigners.
Deported/ expelled foreigners: 29 foreigners in 2020, 56 foreigners in 2021, 39 foreigners in 2022 and 66 foreigners in 2023.
2. What is the occupancy rate of the facility and the average daily population per year? –
Information on the average number of FRCs occupied per month is provided on a monthly basis without distinguishing between detainees/non-detainees: 2020 – 87 foreigners, 2021 – 395 foreigners, 2022 – 431 foreigners, 2023 – 115 foreigners.
3. How many migrant detainees were accommodated in the Pabrade FRC in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? – Statistics on foreigners detained/placed in FRCs: 2020: 33 foreigners, 2021: 190 foreigners, 2022: 44 foreigners, 2023: 70 foreigners.
4. What is the gender and age distribution of detainees between 2020 and 2023? – SBGS do not keep statistics on detained foreigners by sex and age for the period 2020-2023, nor do they have the possibility to extract information from the systems. However, in practice, they can state that 90-95% of detained foreigners are single males. Statistics by age group are also not available.
5. What is the number of staff, are they from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds, are they specially trained and what is the ratio of staff on duty to detainees? – The staff of the FRC consists of 131 posts (89 officials of the internal service system, 42 civil servants and contract staff (hereinafter referred to as ‘staff’). The staff of the FRC is continuously trained and participates in various seminars on human rights vulnerability, protection of personal data, communication and provision of information to asylum seekers, risk analysis, management of law enforcement powers and the use of force and ethics. Also, there is a possibility to participate in seminars on deontological ethics, internal control and complaint mechanisms, coercion and the use of power, and working with persons of non-traditional sexual orientation organised by the Lithuanian Red Cross Society.
The ratio of staff on duty to foreigners detained/residing in the FRC is confidential information and is therefore not made public.
6. Are all detainees who arrive at Pabrade FRC provided with full medical care? When leaving the Pabrade FRC? – Health care services for foreigners accommodated in the FRC shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of the Description of Conditions and Procedures for the Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in the State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, approved by the Order of the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania No.1V-340 of 04.10.2007 on the Approval of the Conditions and Procedures of Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in the State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania. All foreigners accommodated in the FRC may receive free of charge emergency medical assistance, social services and psychological assistance. The FRC has a family doctor who is available on weekdays (during working hours) and nurses who are on duty 24 hours a day.
7. How many detainees died in Pabrade FRC in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? How many suicides, suicide attempts, self-harm were recorded in Pabrade FRC in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? – No deaths have been recorded in Pabrade FRC. No cases of self-harm were reported in 2020, 11 cases in 2021, 2 cases in 2022 and 1 case in 2023. Attempted suicides were not recorded in 2020, 5 in 2021, 1 in 2022 and 1 in 2023.
///
Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
3.a. How many people were deported and/or forcibly returned in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (excluding voluntary return)? – The Migration Department adopted decision to expel foreigners from the Republic of Lithuania in 2020-2023: 81 in 2020, 2935 in 2021, 493 in 2022, 219 in 2023.
3.b. How many voluntary returnees were returned during 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023? –
Migration Department has taken a decision to return foreigners to a foreign country in 2020- 2023: 1809 in 2020, 2213 in 2021, 2671 in 2022, 3616 in 2023.
