Poland has intensified checks on the border with Slovakia and the Czech Republic
The Border Guard, Police and Road Transport Inspectorate are conducting random checks of buses and other vehicles that may be transporting illegal migrants. Since yesterday, about 150 people from the Middle East and Africa have been detained while trying to get through to Germany.
A statement from Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration, Mariusz Kamiński, after a conversation with the head of the German Ministry of the Interior, Nancy Faeser.
Today, the 28 of September, I had a telephone conversation with German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser. We talked about the situation on the Polish-German border and the increasing migration pressure along the Balkan route. I want to stress that media reports about the alleged reintroduction of permanent border checks at the internal Schengen border between Poland and Germany are untrue. The German side has only decided to intensify activities of its border guard along the border with Poland. This is not equivalent to reinstating border checks according to the relevant Schengen rules.
At the same time, given the growing migration pressure along the Balkan route,for example through Hungary, Slovakia, Poland to Germany, we have decided to intensify activities of the Border Guard, the Police and the Road Transport Inspectorate along the borders with Slovakia and the Czech Republic. These involve random checks of buses and other vehicles that may be transporting illegal migrants from this direction. As a result, only yesterday, approximately 150 illegal migrants from the Middle East (including Syria) and Africa, trying to get to Germany, were detained. It turned out that those involved in migrant smuggling were short- and long-term residents of Germany (with visas or residence rights).
Today, I have informed the German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, about these illegal practices. We have agreed that Polish and German uniformed services will cooperate more closely in combating illegal migration. A special task force will be created to this end, consisting of officers from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Mariusz Kamiński
Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration
