Polish authorities have reported a surge in illegal migration through the Suwałki Gap, with the Warmia-Masuria Border Guard detaining several migrants and their couriers on their way to Germany. According to information shared with the Polish Press Agency (PAP), migrants are entering the European Union fromthrough Belarus and continuing their journey via Lithuania or Latvia, before crossing into Poland. In many cases, their desired end destination is Germany.
In May, border guards stopped vehicles carrying a total of 28 migrants—22 from Somalia, 4 from Ethiopia, as well as one Algerian and one Sudanese. The migrants were being transported in buses, passenger cars, and in some cases hidden in trunks. The couriers included a Latvian, a Ukrainian, and a stateless person traveling with Latvian-issued documents.
Warmia-Masuria Border Guard spokeswoman Major Mirosława Aleksandrowicz noted that this route has been used before. “Foreigners were already illegally entering Poland through the Suwałki Gap two years ago,” she said. In 2023, border checks in the region uncovered 134 immigrants.
The Suwałki Gap, an internal EU border zone, does not have fixed controls, but Polish border guards conduct road checks based on risk analysis. Additional patrols have been deployed to the area in response to the recent spike in activity.
