The situation at the Polish‑German border remains tense. Germany’s Federal Police have released the latest data on migrants returned from Germany to Poland, while signals from the Bundestag suggest an appetite for even broader deportations. How will Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government respond?
Poland’s Border Guard admits it collects migrants on German territory and transports them back across the frontier, yet the agency says it neither oversees the practice nor keeps systematic statistics—according to an official reply sent to the news site Niezalezna.pl.
How many migrants have been sent back?
Wirtualna Polska published an article today seeking to “reassure” Poles about “the migrants the Polish right uses to stoke fear.” The outlet asked Germany’s Federal Police and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees for precise figures on returns to Poland.
According to federal‑police data, between 16 October 2023 and the end of that year, Germany sent 1,686 people back to Poland. The picture becomes clearer—and more striking—when looking at 2024, the first full year under Donald Tusk’s administration: 9,387 migrants were returned.
In January and February 2025 alone, another 957 people were sent back. With April now over, the cumulative total for the past 2½ years likely approaches 15,000—higher than the 13,387 cited by Wirtualna Polska.
Border controls—one‑sided and controversial
On the German side, controls along the Polish‑German border remain in place. Warsaw, however, has resisted re‑imposing its own checks despite appeals from the opposition and segments of the public. The government argues that full controls would jeopardise jobs in border communities—a point underscored by Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk, who nonetheless conceded: “Poland will keep pressing for those checks to be lifted. I’m sceptical, though. I think Germany will maintain them for some time—it fits their policy.”
A tougher line from Berlin’s next coalition?
Meanwhile, Thorsten Frei of the centre‑right CDU—tapped to head the Federal Chancellery in the incoming CDU‑SPD‑CSU coalition—has already pledged to reinforce border security. Speaking to Der Spiegel, Frei said Germany would deploy additional federal police to its external borders, including the frontier with Poland. “We will step up border checks and turn back those who have no right to enter Germany,” he declared.
With Berlin hardening its stance and Warsaw still debating its own response, the number of migrants shuttled back across the Oder is likely to remain a flashpoint in Polish‑German relations.