(MENAFN) Polish President Karol Nawrocki has ordered the deployment of troops to Poland’s borders with Germany and Lithuania, as Warsaw reintroduces border controls amid a rise in illegal immigration.

All three countries are members of the European Union and the Schengen area, but Poland reinstated checks earlier this year, citing security concerns and growing migrant flows.

According to a resolution published Friday, the measures will take effect on October 5 and remain in place until April 4, 2026.

Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in July that 700 troops had already been sent to the country’s western border, with plans to increase the number to as many as 5,000 to support border guards.

The Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania will be extended for the same duration. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the move aims to monitor “the migration route leading from the Baltic states, through Poland, to Western Europe.”

Polish authorities reported that nearly 25,000 illegal crossing attempts were recorded on the Polish-Belarusian border since the start of the year. Additionally, 500 migrants and 60 suspected human traffickers were detained while attempting to cross from Lithuania.

Germany reintroduced temporary border checks in late 2023 under Schengen provisions allowing such measures during emergencies.

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