Poland records no illegal border crossings for the first time since 2021

November 28, Pozirk. On November 27, the Polish Border Guard did not register any border violations at the European Union’s border with Belarus for the first time since the start of the illegal migrant crisis in 2021.

Minsk declared its readiness for dialogue with Warsaw after the Polish parliamentary election in October where opposition parties won a majority and may form a new government.

Lithuania and Latvia have not allowed at least 31 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus over the past day as the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service registered five border violations, while their Latvian colleagues thwarted 26 attempts.

Since the start of 2023, the EU has recorded at least 41,288 attempts by illegal migrants to enter its territory from Belarus, with 25,059 attempts via Poland, 13,728 via Latvia and 2,501 via Lithuania.

Pozirk’s analysis of daily stats indicated fluctuated but steady tension at the Belarusian-EU border throughout the year. Illegal border crossings peaked at 5,474 in October, exceeding the previous record high of 5,054 in July. In November, illegal migrants attempted to cross the Belarusian-EU border as many as 2,590 times.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU. It escalated in November 2021, with hundreds of migrants storming the Polish border.

The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.

On August 28, the interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States warned that they would close the border with Belarus in case of a surge in illegal migration.