Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw on Monday, Tomasz Siemoniak said the government does not work with such vigilantes, accusing them of seeking to "create chaos" rather than provide security.
“The Border Guard is waiting. We have 1,500 new positions. Anyone who meets the criteria is absolutely welcome,” he said. “But those who insult police officers or try to provoke incidents – this is something we strongly condemn. Where the law is broken, the appropriate authorities will respond.”
Siemoniak criticised these unofficial patrols, saying they have attempted to provoke uniformed officers and, in at least one case, targeted a female Border Guard officer.
“They are not supporting our services; they are creating disturbances on the border,” he said.
The comments come amid a growing political row over the handling of migration and border control, particularly along Poland’s western border with Germany.
Opposition figures from the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) and far-right Confederation party have accused the government of failing to control the border, and claimed that migrants are being pushed into Poland from Germany outside formal procedures.
Siemoniak rejected these claims, arguing that the number of migrants returned to Poland under readmission agreements in 2025 is significantly lower than in 2023 and 2024.
He also blamed previous policies, including what he called the “Czaputowicz doctrine,” a reference to the former PiS foreign minister, under which unchecked entries into Poland were allowed on the assumption that the migrants would continue on to Germany.
"Now we are reaping the consequences of that approach," Siemoniak said. "A whole corridor was created through Poland."
He added that while the situation on the Polish–Belarusian border has improved thanks to tighter controls, pressure is now building on the Polish–Lithuanian border.
“Those who cannot cross from Belarus are now heading north and trying to get through that way,” he said.
The minister also referred to recent talks in Tallinn with his counterparts from Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where the group discussed a coordinated regional response to illegal migration.
“We need a common policy when it comes to our borders and how we approach irregular migration—this is all interconnected,” Siemoniak said.
Siemoniak told reporters last Tuesday that security remained the government's top priority and urged opposition politicians not to stir up fear among residents of Poland’s western regions.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP