Poland warns potential immigrants whose borders are closed

Polish diplomats in the Middle East and Africa are talking to local media and urging people not to try to enter the EU illegally through Belarus, the most popular communication channels, Marcin Bridax said.

Many immigrants, mostly from Iraq, died of exhaustion as they tried to make their way from Belarus to Poland through a wooded and swampy area. Polish diplomats talk to government officials in the countries of emigration, inform them and urge them to warn and protect their citizens, Presidas said.

“So we want to help these people [vykdome] Diplomatic activities in these countries … and we warn that they may fall victim to fraud, “he added.

EU members Poland and Lithuania were recently pressured to cross their borders with Belarus. They allege that the Belarusian government is issuing free tourist visas and deliberately misleading people that they can cross the border illegally with their neighbors and seek refuge in the European Union.

Claiming revenge for Western sanctions on Minsk, the Polish and Lithuanian governments have sent thousands of troops and barbed wire across the border into Belarus.

Humanitarian organizations and the influential Polish Catholic Church have criticized the government for deporting immigrants, including families with children.