Polish authorities turned away 24 people attempting to enter from Germany during the first week of stricter border controls, officials said on Monday, July 14th. Separately, eight suspected people smugglers were arrested near the border with Lithuania.
Although no official reason was given for the refusals, Polish border guards carried out checks on 67,000 people and 28,500 vehicles along the German border between July 7th and 13th. The actions highlight Poland’s growing rejection of the EU’s open-border Schengen policy.
During the same period, Polish border guards inspected 40,000 people and 19,500 vehicles at the Lithuanian border, denying entry to 15 individuals. At least 19 migrants were sent back to Lithuania under an existing bilateral return agreement.
Warsaw’s decision to carry out random checks at its borders with Germany and Lithuania comes amid tensions with both countries over the transit of so-called irregular—or illegal—migrants.
