By Andreas Lundberg 
Poland introduced temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania on Monday, conducting random checks at 52 crossings with Germany and 13 with Lithuania to curb illegal migration. Set to last until August 5, the measures respond to public fears and Germany’s stricter border policies, straining the EU’s Schengen zone.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the controls redirect migrant flows from Belarus entering via Latvia and Lithuania. “We’re doing this for the EU,” Tusk told Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak assured minimal disruption for EU nationals, citing the detention of an Estonian smuggling Afghans as proof of necessity.
Germany, checking its Polish border since 2023, has rejected 1,300 entrants since May, burdening Poland, Warsaw claims. Critics, including Zgorzelec’s mayor, call migrant flow claims “fake news,” fearing traffic disruptions.
Public sentiment has hardened after a Venezuelan was charged with murder in Torun and a Polish man was stabbed in Nowe, sparking nationalist protests. Far-right “citizens’ patrols” drew condemnation from human rights groups.
Germany denies seeking permanent controls, urging an EU-wide migration solution. The reciprocal measures test Schengen’s open-border principles.
Dale Chaucer