Border Controls Instated on Either Side of Poland-Poland's Border Fully Regulated
In a reciprocal move following Germany's extended border checks, Poland reinstated temporary controls at 52 crossings with Germany and Lithuania starting July 7, 2025. The decision, announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, aims to address growing concerns over the "uncontrolled flow of migrants" crossing borders illegally.
The increased border controls are primarily targeting those involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants, focusing on vehicles such as buses, minibuses, cars with large numbers of passengers, and vehicles with tinted windows. However, the measures have raised concerns among commuters and shoppers, who question their usefulness due to the disruption of normal cross-border travel within the Schengen zone.
Poland's Interior Minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, has assured that ordinary travelers, including regular commuters and shoppers, have nothing to fear from these measures. He emphasized that the controls are aimed at individuals involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants and not at ordinary citizens.
The controls involve approximately 800 border guards, 300 police officers, 200 military police officers, and 500 members of voluntary homeland defense associations. They are being implemented at 13 border crossings between Poland and Lithuania as well.
Germany's Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, ordered more intensive border controls shortly after the new federal government took office in May. However, his offer of joint controls on the German side of the common border with Poland has not been accepted yet.
The controls are scheduled to continue until August 5. Cyclists are required to show their ID at some border crossings, while trucks are not being controlled during these checks. Travelers must have a personal ID or a passport with them when crossing the border.
Some individuals have faced difficulties with border guards who do not speak German, but are satisfied as long as only their documents are checked. A banner with the slogan "No! Immigration" is present at one of the control points, hung by the right-wing radical "Movement for the Defense of Borders".
The chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group, Britta Haßelmann, criticized the controls, stating they are a result of Germany's failed policy. There is a rumor among right-wing activists that German officials are transporting asylum seekers who have not previously been in Poland to the neighboring country, which is a sensitive issue in Poland.
However, not all commuters and shoppers are convinced that the controls can curb irregular migration. Some express doubts about the necessity and effectiveness of the controls in reducing threats without significantly impacting normal border traffic. Despite these concerns, the Polish government maintains that the controls are essential to maintain border security amid a surge in migration-related concerns.
- The increased border controls, announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, are primarily focused on individuals involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants, as evidenced by the targeting of vehicles and the large number of border guards, police officers, and military police involved.
- Amid the ongoing general-news concern over the uncontrolled flow of migrants, Poland's decision to reinstate temporary controls at its crossings with Germany and Lithuania raised concerns among commuters and shoppers regarding the disruption of normal cross-border travel within the Schengen zone, despite assurances from the Interior Minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, that ordinary travelers have nothing to fear.
