In May, two illegal migrants were brought by Border Guard officers to a children’s village in Biłgoraj (Lublin Voivodeship), operated by the SOS Children’s Villages Association in Poland. The information has been confirmed by staff members at the facility. This is yet another documented case of Border Guard transporting migrants to institutions designed for child protection.
The SOS Children’s Villages Association provides care to abandoned, orphaned, or at-risk children. It has operated in Poland since 1984 and is part of the international SOS Children’s Villages organization, which was founded in Austria and currently operates in 137 countries and territories worldwide. Several SOS facilities are active in Poland.
“Teenagers” Delivered by Border Guard
In early May, two migrants were brought to the emergency intervention facility in Biłgoraj. According to documentation shown to the staff by the Border Guard officers, the individuals were said to be minors. As confirmed by SOS Poland, they are “in their teenage years.”
“We know they are minors based on the documents presented by the Border Guard. They were placed in our facility following a request by the Commander of the Border Guard Post. The District Court in Biłgoraj later issued a decision to place them under foster care. The court is responsible for deciding where minors are housed. Their stay has been smooth — they are adapting well and have developed positive relationships with the other residents. Their behavior poses no threat to the other children or to the staff. We have observed no inappropriate conduct,” said Beata Kulig of SOS Poland in an interview with Niezależna.pl.
According to information obtained by the portal, the teenagers were not transferred from the Polish-German border, but rather from the Polish-Belarusian border. They were in possession of passports.
Previous Case in Skierniewice
Public opinion was recently stirred by another case involving three migrants placed in the “Dom” Care and Upbringing Facility in Skierniewice. Two of them from Guinea and one from Iran were brought there by the Border Guard, despite being in Poland illegally.
Problems arose within days of their arrival. The migrants fled the facility and were listed as missing. Reports suggest the troubles didn’t stop there — two of the young men allegedly tried to “assert dominance” over other children at the orphanage.
The procedure for admitting such individuals is governed by the Act on Supporting Foster Care, specifically Article 103. According to the law, emergency care institutions are tasked with providing immediate care to children in crisis situations and are obligated to accept them if urgent placement is required.
However, a child’s stay in such an intervention facility cannot exceed three months.