Poland’s government says it is preparing a crackdown on organized crime committed by foreigners, with deportations expected as part of the response.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced on Saturday that he is working on a new strategy, a day after the Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for “a swift plan” to be drawn up.
“We are preparing a plan with Justice Minister Adam Bodnar for further decisive responses to the crime committed by foreigners in Poland, particularly organized crime and its violent forms," Siemoniak wrote on X.
The government has yet to announce specific details of the planned measures, but it follows growing concerns about criminal activity involving foreign nationals.
Experts told a major newspaper recently that the rise of mainly Georgian organized crime groups could plunge the country into an era of gang terror reminiscent of the 1990s.
In further social media posts on X on Saturday, the Polish authorities reported that the police detained 1,895 Georgian citizens in 2024, with 136 placed in custody, while 2,589 were expelled by border authorities. A total of 322 Georgians are currently in Polish penitentiary institutions, they added.
Migration and its impact has become a key topic in the national debate ahead of Poland’s presidential elections in May.
The opposition nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party has consistently criticized Tusk’s administration, arguing it has been slow to act on rising security concerns and accusing it of failing to properly control migration.
On the campaign trail on Saturday, Karol Nawrocki, the PiS-backed presidential candidate, said that rejecting the EU’s so-called migration pact was a way of keeping Poles safe.
The government in Warsaw has promised not to implement the scheme, which would force it to take in refugees from other EU countries or face financial penalties.
“We must state this clearly, and I declare unequivocally on behalf of the citizens of the Republic: if I become president, I will unilaterally withdraw from the migration pact because your security is my top priority,” Nawrocki said.
Meanwhile, Rafał Trzaskowski – who is standing for the Civic Coalition (KO), the main party in Poland’s ruling coalition government – backed Tusk’s stance on stamping out organized crime, declaring "zero tolerance" for foreigners who break Polish law.
He also said ensuring security is a top priority and that Poland will not criminal groups dismantled in past decades to re-emerge.
“We are preparing a plan with Justice Minister Adam Bodnar for further decisive responses to the crime committed by foreigners in Poland, particularly organized crime and its violent forms," Siemoniak wrote on X.
The government has yet to announce specific details of the planned measures, but it follows growing concerns about criminal activity involving foreign nationals.
Experts told a major newspaper recently that the rise of mainly Georgian organized crime groups could plunge the country into an era of gang terror reminiscent of the 1990s.
In further social media posts on X on Saturday, the Polish authorities reported that the police detained 1,895 Georgian citizens in 2024, with 136 placed in custody, while 2,589 were expelled by border authorities. A total of 322 Georgians are currently in Polish penitentiary institutions, they added.
Opposition and gov’t say security is priority
Migration and its impact has become a key topic in the national debate ahead of Poland’s presidential elections in May.
The opposition nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party has consistently criticized Tusk’s administration, arguing it has been slow to act on rising security concerns and accusing it of failing to properly control migration.
On the campaign trail on Saturday, Karol Nawrocki, the PiS-backed presidential candidate, said that rejecting the EU’s so-called migration pact was a way of keeping Poles safe.
The government in Warsaw has promised not to implement the scheme, which would force it to take in refugees from other EU countries or face financial penalties.
“We must state this clearly, and I declare unequivocally on behalf of the citizens of the Republic: if I become president, I will unilaterally withdraw from the migration pact because your security is my top priority,” Nawrocki said.
Meanwhile, Rafał Trzaskowski – who is standing for the Civic Coalition (KO), the main party in Poland’s ruling coalition government – backed Tusk’s stance on stamping out organized crime, declaring "zero tolerance" for foreigners who break Polish law.
He also said ensuring security is a top priority and that Poland will not criminal groups dismantled in past decades to re-emerge.
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