The migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border has become one of the most serious challenges Poland has faced in recent years. In response to the increasing number of attempts to cross the border illegally, the Polish authorities decided to introduce a buffer zone. This radical solution was aimed at limiting the flow of migrants and protecting the external borders of the European Union.
Thousands of attempts to cross the border
The buffer zone on the border with Belarus has been in operation since June 13. Data published at the end of August by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration show that after the introduction of these restrictions, the number of attempts to cross the border illegally has decreased significantly. Since its launch, just over 6,000 attempts to cross the border have been recorded, while in the corresponding period before the introduction of the zone, more than 17,000 such cases were recorded.
Before the creation of the buffer zone, officers of the Podlasie Border Guard Unit detained 234 couriers who were trying to cross the Polish-Belarusian border. In the first period of the zone’s operation, a total of 71 couriers were detained.
