Poland sees threefold rise in irregular migrants' border crossings from Lithuania

ISTANBUL

The number of people detained after illegally crossing from Lithuania into Poland has nearly tripled this year, Polish authorities said Thursday, citing shifting migration routes through the Baltic.

According to figures released by Poland’s Border Guard, 251 people have been detained since January for illegally crossing the Polish-Lithuanian border, a significant jump from 175 detentions recorded for the whole of last year, state-run news agency TVP World reported.

The uptick in crossings coincides with a broader crackdown on the Belarusian border, forcing trafficking groups to reroute migrants through Latvia and Lithuania before reaching Poland, authorities say.

In a recent incident, Polish border guards stopped a Latvian-registered vehicle in the northeastern town of Sejny. The vehicle, driven by a 41-year-old Ukrainian national, was carrying four undocumented migrants from North Africa.

“This year we have already detained 251 people who illegally crossed the Polish-Lithuanian border,” said Michal Bura, a senior warrant officer with the Podlasie Border Guard, in comments to the daily Rzeczpospolita.

“This is more than the whole of last year," he said.

Bura noted that most of the migrants came from Somalia, Morocco, and Algeria, and that the smuggling operations typically involve several stages, starting in Africa and moving through Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania before arriving in Poland.

Since the start of 2025, authorities have detained around 40 smugglers involved in these routes, he added.

The developments come as Poland ramps up efforts to stem irregular migration.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that his government would reintroduce temporary border controls on crossings with Germany and Lithuania, beginning July 7.

The operation will be supported by the armed forces.