TV Republika is reporting on a concerning incident that occurred on Tuesday afternoon near Lubieszyn on the Polish-German border.
According to Kamil Nieradka, a reporter for TV Republika:
“A German police car arrived, and two men in sanitary suits got out. Moments after they opened the door, a migrant emerged—wearing a green protective suit, glasses, and a face mask. The three of them then walked toward Poland.”
Nieradka further explained that before crossing the border, one of the German officers indicated which way the migrant should go. The man, carrying a bag and a bundle of papers, proceeded into Poland, where Polish Border Guard officers and a single German policeman—this time without any protective suits—were waiting.
Shortly thereafter, the migrant “left the intervention site just three seconds later and headed toward Szczecin.” The reporter added that the man was neither detained nor taken to a detention center.
German Officer Allegedly in Charge
According to TV Republika, the operation on the Polish side was directed by a German officer. The event raises questions about cooperation and procedures between German and Polish services regarding migrants.
Three Key Questions
Jarosław Olechowski, head of TV Republika’s editorial team, posed three crucial questions about the incident on social media:
- Are German officers stationed in Poland coordinating the transfer of illegal migrants from Germany to Poland?
- Why was an illegal migrant allowed to enter Poland without any supervision, especially when there are indications he might have a contagious disease?
- Why were Polish border guards not equipped with personal protective gear, given that the German officers who handed over the migrant were in protective suits, presumably aware of a potential infectious condition?
How Many Migrants Have Been Sent Back to Poland?
This is not the first incident on Poland’s western border involving the transfer of migrants from Germany into Polish territory. A few days ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated during a televised debate that deportations of migrants from Germany are “in accordance with the law,” adding that he had phoned “all the prime ministers of neighboring countries” to inform them they must accept this process. According to Scholz, this includes Donald Tusk in Poland.
Paweł Jabłoński, a former deputy foreign minister of Poland, remarked that conflicting data exist regarding the exact number of migrants sent back from Germany to Poland:
“There was a report indicating that Germany, in just one year, sent back 40,000 people to various countries. It’s unclear how many ended up in Poland, but Poland seems to take the lion’s share.”
Meanwhile, Bogdan Rzońca, a Member of the European Parliament, suggested on social media that the figure could be as high as 12,000.
A report from the German Federal Police indicates that, from mid-September 2024 to the beginning of February 2025, German authorities either returned or sent back nearly 14,000 people at the border. The exact number who were transferred specifically to Poland remains unknown.