„Perhaps the head of the VSD should not be fear-mongering about that growth [of Muslim immigrants]. Growth does seem remarkable, but the overall figure is not large,“ Šimonytė told the radio station Žinių radijas on Thursday.
The head of Government admitted that some companies were acting irresponsibly when inviting migrant workers and thus laws were tightened in July, indicating a clear shift in immigration tendencies.
„This year, from 1 January to 1 October, the number of people who have residence permits in the country increased by just several hundred,“ Šimonytė said speaking about foreign workers.
According to the data of the Migration Department, as of September 2024, there were around 30,000 Muslim immigrants from third countries in Lithuania.
Furthermore, the prime minister stated that parliament has approved a law setting the annual quota of workers from third countries in Lithuania at 40,000.
She noted that the number of migrants from Central Asia increased because companies need workforce and they previously relied on foreign workers from Ukraine and Belarus.
On 9 October, VSD Director Darius Jauniškis told LNK TV that the number of immigrants from Central Asia has increased by 14 times since 2021. He notes that this poses risks as immigrants from Central Asia tend to radicalise and have antisemitic and anti-Western sentiments.
The head of the intelligence agency revealed that some individuals from third countries are being monitored as due to potential threats, whereas in 2023 and 2024 the VSD recommended to prevent 4 people from entering Lithuania due their to ties with terrorism.