Reference News Network, October 5 report: According to the RT website on October 4, Polish President Andrzej Duda ordered the deployment of troops to Poland's borders with Germany and Lithuania. Warsaw has recently reintroduced border controls citing a surge in illegal immigrants.
These three countries are all EU members. Since at least 2015, the EU has been struggling to deal with the refugee crisis caused mainly by the turmoil in the Middle East and Africa, and later the Ukraine conflict.
In a decree issued on the 4th, Duda stated that these measures will take effect on October 5 and last until April 4, 2026.
In July, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz revealed that 700 troops had been deployed to the western border of the country, with plans to send an additional 5,000 soldiers to assist border guards.
The Polish Ministry of Interior announced on the 1st that temporary border controls would be extended until April 4, 2026. These measures were first reintroduced in early July.
The statement cited Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, who said: "We will extend border controls with Germany and Lithuania to monitor migration routes from the Baltic states through Poland into Western Europe."
Polish authorities estimate that since the beginning of this year, nearly 25,000 attempts at illegal crossing have been recorded at the Poland-Belarus border. Additionally, 500 foreigners and 60 suspects of human trafficking were arrested while attempting to enter from Lithuania.
Poland, Germany, and Lithuania are all Schengen Area members. However, in late 2023, Germany used a provision allowing countries to temporarily restore border checks in emergencies.
Warsaw accused German police of "dumping" thousands of migrants at the Polish border.
Since 2021, Poland has repeatedly accused its eastern neighbor Belarus of intentionally arranging the influx of illegal immigrants into EU countries under Russia's request. Minsk and Moscow have consistently denied these allegations. (Translated by Ge Xuele)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557690888183005696/
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