Poland Restores Border Checks with Lithuania and Germany

Poland has reinstated border controls with Lithuania and Germany starting July 7 to curb illegal migration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Inspections will be conducted at 52 checkpoints along the German border and 17 along the Lithuanian border. Checks will be selective and target travelers entering Poland.

According to Polish media outlet RMF24, border guards have already detained an Estonian national transporting four undocumented migrants, reportedly from Afghanistan.

About 800 border guards have been deployed, along with 300 police officers, 500 Territorial Defense Forces soldiers, and 200 Military Gendarmerie personnel.

The measures are expected to remain in place for 30 days, from July 7 to August 5, but may be extended if necessary.

According to the Reuters, the move follows similar steps by the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany over the past 18 months, fueling tension within the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone.

Debate over migration has intensified in Poland in recent weeks, with far-right groups launching so-called “citizen patrols” along the western border.

Germany has conducted border checks with Poland since 2023, and this year began turning back undocumented migrants under EU rules and a bilateral agreement. Warsaw has criticized the policy, saying it places an unfair burden on Poland.

Polish authorities also cited increased migrant activity on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border as a reason for reintroducing checks with Lithuania.

Rafal Gronić, mayor of the border town Zgorzelec, questioned the effectiveness of the controls.

“In my entire life, I’ve never known anyone who wanted to flee from Germany to Poland,” he said. “I hope that changes someday. For now, it’s just fake news. There are no urgent waves of migrants in Zgorzelec.”

In March, Poland deployed 11,000 troops to the Belarusian border to stem illegal crossings. Since 2021, Belarus has been accused of orchestrating migrant flows toward the EU in retaliation for Western sanctions.