Since the start of this year, 2,182 foreigners have been requested to be sent back to Poland, including people who have allegedly violated the refugee procedure. Germany has requested the most returns, with 1,878 people set to be sent back.
The Dublin Agreement, a European bloc agreement, provides that EU countries can send asylum seekers back to their first point of entry into the EU where they have either already got an asylum application under way, or could have initiated one on entry.
A spokeswoman for the border guard told the Polish news agency (PAP) that just 305 asylum seekers had so far been sent back from Germany this year. Earlier this year, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser met with her Polish counterpart to stem migrant arrivals without papers via Poland and the Czech Republic.
Poland is a busy transit point for both economic migrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter Western Europe. An estimated 15,000 people attempt to cross its 1,300 kilometre eastern border each year without the correct papers. Organised smuggler networks have transformed the migrant routes into a lucrative business opportunity, charging up to $2,000 to $5,000 per person.
The Dublin Agreement has been widely criticised by EU states and human rights organisations for disproportionately placing the burden of migrant and refugee protection and rights on the countries located along the periphery of Europe.
