Twelve of the migrants were detained in the district of Ignalina on Saturday, ten on Sunday and another ten on Monday morning, according to Liubajevas.
"They say they are Iraqi citizens, but there are citizens of Syria, Iran and other countries, too. But most of them are Iraqi citizens. At least this is what they say," he told LRT Radio.
The recent trend has been for migrants to arrive in small groups of 10 to 15 people, he noted.
A total of almost 450 migrants have been caught trying to cross illegally into Lithuania from Belarus this year so far, compared to 81 in the full year 2020, 46 in 2019 and 104 in 2018.
Lithuania has stepped up controls on its border with Belarus to tackle the recent surge in illegal migrant crossings. In addition to various organizational measures, border guards from other units have been moved to the stretch and additional technical resources have been allocated.
Officers from the Public Security Service and members of the Riflemen's Union, a civilian paramilitary organization, are also assisting border guards in controlling the border.
Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has said the spike in the inflow of illegal immigrants is part of the Minsk regime's policy against Lithuania, which she said signals the start of a "hybrid war".