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According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, authorities in Belarus have ordered the removal of migrants from warehouses along the Poland-Belarus border. This could potentially lead to a new wave of migrants entering the European Union (EU) through the borders of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.

In recent weeks, the number of migrants crossing into the EU from Belarus has decreased. According to Reuters, at the peak of the crisis last month, thousands of migrants were stuck on the EUs eastern frontiers, in what the EU said was a crisis Minsk engineered by distributing Belarusian visas in the Middle East, flying them in and pushing them across the border. In response, Alexander Lukashenko said that it was the EU that deliberately provoked a humanitarian crisis.

Currently, there are an estimated 3,000 4,000 migrants in Belarus. On Monday, December 20th, Lithuanian Interior Minister, Agne Bilotaite, told reporters that they had received word about Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko order to clear out illegal migrants from the warehouse at Bruzgi border crossing and Minsk, so there will be attempts soon to push these migrants into Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Many of the border nations are worried that the situation is devolving into a larger humanitarian crisis.

According to NPR, migrants inside Belarus report that they are being given an ultimatum: book a flight out of Belarus the officials [dont] care where to or be put on a plane to Syria. Some migrants are protesting the forcible removal from Belarus and are asking for international aid from NGOs and the EU so they do not have to return home to life-threatening conditions or endure the difficulties of the Belarus-Poland border, where over 15 people have died so far.

President Lukashenko has been accused by the U.S and European officials of using migrants as a political weapon in retaliation for sanction, reported NPR. As the migrants pleas for asylum and aid have fallen on deaf ears in Belarus, it is now up to the international community to ensure the remaining migrants in Belarus are not subject to the same fate. They should not have to choose between risking hypothermia and death to cross a border or returning to their home country to face violence and persecution. It is a lose-lose choice.

As a signatory of the 1951 refugee convention, Belarus is not permitted to return individuals to a country where they would face the risk of persecution or other serious human rights abuses, per the UNHCR. Because Belarus preyed upon vulnerable populations, many migrants are not unable to return home safely. As such, Belarus is required not to deport them back to an unsafe environment. By doing so, they are violating international law. Other signatories of the 1951 convention, and the international community as a whole, must hold Belarus accountable to the law. Additionally, the EU must stop punishing migrants crossing the border for the actions of Belarusian officials. The migrants are stuck in the middle of a European power play that they have nothing to do with. They deserve much more than being left out in the woods to die.

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Migrants Forced Out of Belarus Lithuania Braces for Influx - The Organization for World Peace