The number of immigrants deported from Poland for breaking the law has doubled in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Polish Border Guard.
Between January and February, more than 1,300 people—primarily Georgians and Belarusians—were expelled, up from 700 in early 2024, Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Juźwiak, a spokesman for the Border Guard, confirmed that most deportations involved citizens of Georgia, Belarus and Moldova.
Nearly half of those deported in early 2025 were Georgian (260) or Belarusian (220). Other nationalities affected include Moldovans (150), Colombians (90), Ukrainians (80) and Russians (60).
The most common reason for expulsion was for those threatening Polish security and public order.
“They are usually reoffenders, convicted of assault, fighting, bodily harm. There are many drivers with convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving bans, which they frequently violate,” Monika Szpunar from the Silesian Border Guard Unit said.
The deportation trend has continued into March, with Polish news website RMF reporting that four Georgians, seven Uzbeks and three Tajik citizens were expelled last week.
Among them was a 32-year-old Georgian suspected of terrorism ties.
The number of Belarusians deported from Poland has risen by approximately 58% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, as authorities crack down on visa abuses and foreign crime, Rzeczpospolita reported.
A Polish Border Guard officer attributed the spike to lax visa policies introduced under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government.
In response to political repression under Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, during the four years after the country’s 2020 election fraud, Poland issued 53,000 humanitarian visas to Belarusians.
The border guard officer said: “The mass issuance of humanitarian visas, practically without control and verification, has taken its toll. We are now getting rid of those who were not entitled to them.”
While the visa policy was designed to support Belarusian dissidents, it has been subject to exploitation. Polish prosecutors charged a Belarusian citizen , suspected of working for Russian intelligence, with setting fire to a large DIY store in Warsaw last year. The man came to Poland allegedly seeking refuge from Lukashenko's regime in Belarus.
Even after expulsion, some attempt to re-enter Poland illegally.
Authorities recently detained a 35-year-old Georgian who had been banned from Schengen Area countries for five years.
He managed to return under a new identity with a different passport and even applied for a temporary residence permit before being caught again.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Juźwiak, a spokesman for the Border Guard, confirmed that most deportations involved citizens of Georgia, Belarus and Moldova.
Nearly half of those deported in early 2025 were Georgian (260) or Belarusian (220). Other nationalities affected include Moldovans (150), Colombians (90), Ukrainians (80) and Russians (60).
The most common reason for expulsion was for those threatening Polish security and public order.
“They are usually reoffenders, convicted of assault, fighting, bodily harm. There are many drivers with convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving bans, which they frequently violate,” Monika Szpunar from the Silesian Border Guard Unit said.
The deportation trend has continued into March, with Polish news website RMF reporting that four Georgians, seven Uzbeks and three Tajik citizens were expelled last week.
Among them was a 32-year-old Georgian suspected of terrorism ties.
Spike in Belarusian deportees
The number of Belarusians deported from Poland has risen by approximately 58% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, as authorities crack down on visa abuses and foreign crime, Rzeczpospolita reported.
A Polish Border Guard officer attributed the spike to lax visa policies introduced under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government.
In response to political repression under Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, during the four years after the country’s 2020 election fraud, Poland issued 53,000 humanitarian visas to Belarusians.
The border guard officer said: “The mass issuance of humanitarian visas, practically without control and verification, has taken its toll. We are now getting rid of those who were not entitled to them.”
While the visa policy was designed to support Belarusian dissidents, it has been subject to exploitation. Polish prosecutors charged a Belarusian citizen , suspected of working for Russian intelligence, with setting fire to a large DIY store in Warsaw last year. The man came to Poland allegedly seeking refuge from Lukashenko's regime in Belarus.
Even after expulsion, some attempt to re-enter Poland illegally.
Authorities recently detained a 35-year-old Georgian who had been banned from Schengen Area countries for five years.
He managed to return under a new identity with a different passport and even applied for a temporary residence permit before being caught again.
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