Poland Reinstates Border Checks with Germany and Lithuania

The checks were started at midnight and the initial plan is to keep them in place for 30 days, with checks both ongoing as well as ad hoc at several crossing points at the border.

It comes at a time when political bickering in Poland over the issue has intensified, with right-wing and nationalist opposition parties saying the government has lost control of illegal migration. In reaction to all of this, Prime Minister Donald Tusk denied that the country was seeing an “invasion of illegal immigrants from the west” — but he nevertheless convened a meeting this week on tightening things up.

Enhanced Measures and Military Support
Checks have now been put in operation at 52 places on the Polish-German border and 13 on the Lithuanian frontier. Regular checks will take place at 13 sites in the west and three in the northeast, with spot inspections at other crossings.

To cope with the enlarged operation, 5,000 military personnel and drones are supporting border guards. Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak also moved to reassure citizens that institutions were “fully prepared” and said the aim was to ensure minimal impact on everyday travel and economic transport.

“We are working to organize our business so that problems are not felt by citizens,” he said.

Migrant Arrests and Border Tensions
Shortly before the new rules came into force, police on the border arrested an Estonian driver who was trying to smuggle four Afghan nationals across the Lithuanian border with Poland. The d

river was taken into custody and the migrants would be sent back to Lithuanian authorities, said Brigadier General SÅ‚awomir Klekotka. He said 220 cases of illegal migration have been registered at the Polish-Lithuanian border this year.

There have also been fears in Germany after a tour of the border by leaders of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which expressed backing for “citizens’ patrols” to keep track of migrant movements. According to the German media, such groups — “militias”, in the words of Tusk — actually pushed one of the Afghan migrants back into Germany.

Managing Migration and Political Fallout
While the situation has inflamed tensions between Poland’s feuding political camps, rights groups say the crisis has been overstated, and they accuse PiS and far-right groups like Confederation of using the issue to stoke public fear.

While tension persists between the governments, officials say the border checks are a logistical necessity and a security measure. The Ministry of Infrastructure is working ahead to maintain traffic and the authorities are continuing to deal with migration issues from both the West and the East.