Poland Detains 54 Migrants, Including 15 Afghans, Near Lithuanian Border

Polish Border Guard officers inspect migrants found inside the cargo trailer of a truck near the Lithuania-Poland border. Polish authorities said 54 people, including 15 Afghans, were detained during the operation. Photo: Polish Border Guard Polish border authorities detained 54 migrants, including 15 Afghan nationals, after finding them inside the trailer of a cargo truck at the country’s border with Lithuania, officials said. Poland’s Border Guard said the incident took place on Friday, July 3, at a temporary checkpoint in Budzisko, a border crossing area in northeastern Poland. Officers from the Podlaskie Border Guard branch and customs officials stopped a truck with Romanian registration plates as it entered Poland, the agency said.  According to the Border Guard, the truck was driven by a 37-year-old Romanian citizen. During the inspection, officers found 54 foreign nationals inside the trailer. The group included 30 citizens of Pakistan, 15 citizens of Afghanistan and nine citizens of Bangladesh, the agency said.  Polish authorities said the migrants were attempting to enter the country without authorization. Officials said preliminary findings indicated the driver had transported the group from Latvia through Lithuania before reaching the Polish border.  The migrants are expected to be transferred back to Lithuania after administrative procedures are completed, the Border Guard said. Authorities also said criminal proceedings would be launched against the Romanian driver. The exact charges were not specified in the official Border Guard statement.  Local Polish media reported that the operation was carried out at a temporary control point in Budzisko, in Podlaskie province, where Poland has maintained checks because of concerns over irregular migration routes through the region. Radio Białystok, citing a Border Guard official, described the case as the largest group in recent months found attempting to cross from Lithuania into Poland.  Polish media, citing Border Guard figures, reported that about 760 people have been detained this year while attempting to enter Poland irregularly from Lithuania. Onet, citing the Polish Press Agency, reported that previous cases on this section of the border usually involved smaller groups transported in vans or people attempting to cross on foot.  The case highlights the continued use of internal European Union routes by migrants and alleged smuggling networks seeking to move people toward Western Europe. Poland has faced sustained pressure over irregular migration in recent years, particularly along its border with Belarus, but authorities have also reported repeated interceptions on the Lithuanian frontier. The Afghan nationals in the group were among many Afghans who continue to seek routes out of the region amid a prolonged humanitarian and economic crisis at home. The UN’s 2026 humanitarian response plan estimates that 21.9 million people in Afghanistan, nearly half the population, require humanitarian assistance.  Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that irregular migration routes expose people to exploitation, human trafficking, dangerous transport conditions, detention and other protection risks. Polish authorities have not released further details about the condition of the migrants found in the truck or whether any of them requested asylum. The post Poland Detains 54 Migrants, Including 15 Afghans, Near Lithuanian Border appeared first on Khaama Press.