Poland has said almost 400 migrants face deportation as part of a government crackdown on foreign gangs.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced the deportations on the X platform on Tuesday. He said that a nationwide swoop by law enforcement had led to 398 people being earmarked for expulsion.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed satisfaction, posting: “Time for deportation.”
Between February 13 and 14, Polish police and border guards raided over 32,000 addresses, detaining 1,474 suspects.
The total number of foreigners charged with crimes in Poland since the start of the year stands at 2,616, Siemoniak said.
The latest crackdown follows an announcement by Tusk that foreigners involved in organized crime would be expelled from the country.
Law enforcement agencies said after February’s raids that those detained included both suspects and people convicted of crimes including members of organized gangs and those guilty of drug trafficking, fraud and burglary. Some of the detainees were foreign nationals, they said.
Return procedures have been launched against almost 400 migrants, including 180 from Ukraine, almost 60 from Georgia and a similar number from Colombia.
On February 11, Siemoniak released data showing that foreigners account for 5% of criminal suspects in Poland and said that the number was so high that it required specific action.
The minister told public broadcaster Polish Radio that last year around 8,000 foreign nationals were deported for crimes committed in Poland.
