Aleksandra Fedorska who works for independent radio WNET and news outlet Biznes Alert has reported that migrants are being handed over to Polish border guards by German officers and are then transferred to hostels in bordering areas.
According to her, many of the migrants have told staff that they arrived in Germany from the Netherlands, Austria and other countries, rather than via Poland.
The Polish journalist asked German federal police for data on illegal migrants on the border with Poland. According to the data produced, Germany has sent back 3,500 migrants out of the 5,600 people who are alleged to have crossed from Poland into Germany illegally.
“From Jan. 1 to April 30, 2024, the federal police registered a total of 5,621 people who illegally crossed the Polish-German border. Of these, 3,578 people were returned to Poland,” wrote Fedorska on her account on X.
The EU migration pact, which will come into force in 2026, makes a provision for member states to choose whether to receive relocated illegal migrants or pay €20,000 for every migrant they refuse.
Migration is a key issue for voters in three German eastern states this autumn. Germany makes no secret of its hope that the migration pact will enable it to reduce the number of migrants on its territory.
