Several European countries, including Poland, are tightening measures against migration in response to growing public concern. Poland on Monday introduced temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania to curb an alleged increase in the number of illegal migrants. The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have previously adopted similar measures, signalling growing pressure on the borderless Schengen area.
Polish Minister for the Interior Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed the smooth flow of traffic and the full readiness of more than 1,500 security personnel. He stressed that only official authorities are allowed to carry out checks, not the far-right "citizen patrols" that have appeared at the border.
The change in public sentiment is related to violent incidents involving foreigners - for example, the murder of a Polish woman by a Venezuelan citizen or a fatal stabbing by a suspect from Colombia. These events have sparked nationalist protests and tightened surveillance of migration.
Human rights organisations such as the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights have criticised the activities of these patrols and the political rhetoric that portrays migrants as a threat. They have called for a transparent, fact-based debate on migration and border policy that does not give in to fear.
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