Illegal border crossings from Poland into Germany on rise

The number of people illegally crossing the German-Polish border has increased in recent weeks, according to Germany's Interior Ministry, reported dpa.

In August 2021, the police detected 474 people entering the country without permission at the German-Polish border - while in the first 20 days of September alone there have already been some 760 people crossing illegally, a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.

The German police are working closely with the Polish authorities to combat the sudden rise in illegal entries.

The German border town of Frankfurt an der Oder is a focal point for border crossings, according to German police. Most illegal migrants simply walk across the city's two main bridges, as there are no passport controls between the two countries, who are both members of the Schengen Area.

The fact that migrants have been arriving en masse in Poland through neighbouring Belarus for the past few months is now also having a knock-on effect on Germany, a spokesperson said.

Most of the illegal migrants apprehended at the German-Polish border entered Poland through Belarus before continuing westwards, mainly via Lithuania and Poland. They are often transported by people smugglers.