Poland Accepts 15,545 Migrants From Germany, With Returns Soaring in the Last 3 Months

In the period from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15,545 foreigners were transferred from the territory of Germany to Poland, the wPolityce.pl portal has learned.

“Poland did not refuse to accept any foreigners from the German side,” wrote Lt. Col. Andrzej Juźwiak, press spokesman for the Border Guard.

The entries have also seen a massive spike in the last three months, as from the beginning of the year to June 6, 290 foreigners had been transferred. Those transferred by plane since June amounted to 135.

However, foreigners are not only coming from Germany. According to wPolityce, the Border Guard says other countries have also transported migrants to Poland by air. In the last three months, Norway has sent 66, Austria 11, Estonia 9, the Netherlands 8, Sweden 7, Denmark 5, Iceland 5, Finland 4, Switzerland 3, Belgium 3, Luxembourg 2, France 1 and Malta 1.

This is made possible due to readmission agreements between EU countries, meaning these transfers are happening with the full knowledge and permission of the Polish government.

“Foreigners are transferred to the territory of the Republic of Poland from other member states on the basis of international agreements, readmission agreements, to which the transferring country and Poland are parties,” said Lt. Col. Juźwiak.

“In the event that Poland agrees to accept a foreigner to its territory, the transferring country is responsible for organizing the transfer of the foreigner to Poland (organizing the trip, possibly providing an escort, etc.) and covers the costs of such transport,” he added.

Given the massive influx, Poles may wonder about the infrastructure available for these new arrivals. As of Sept. 17, there were just 265 vacancies in all asylum centers in Poland.