In recent years, Townhall has covered several instances where different European countries have tightened their border restrictions.
In one instance, Finland shut down its border with Russia. Finland initially closed its land borders with Russia in 2023 due to “weaponized migration” from Russia. Many migrants from countries like Syria and Somalia came through the border. This “weaponized migration” was presumably due to the fact that Finland joined the NATO military alliance.
This year, German officials announced that they would increase controls at their borders to reject more migrants.
This week, reports broke that another country is following suit.
Poland has reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania in an effort to discourage so-called “asylum seekers.”
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The Associated Press reported that the controls, which began overnight on Sunday, will last for 30 days to start. Reportedly, the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration may extend them (via AP):
“Illegal migration is simply a crime,” Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Sunday during a news conference.
The border guard discovered an alleged smuggling operation within minutes of the controls taking effect overnight, officials said. An Estonian citizen was allegedly trying to take four Afghan nationals over the Lithuanian border, according to the Polish News Agency.
[...]
The Polish border with Lithuania, which stretches 104 kilometers (65 miles), will see checks in 13 locations. Poland’s border with Germany, 467 kilometers (290 miles) long, will have controls at 52 crossing points.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a joint news conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, “We’re doing this for you as well.”
“For the Germans, for the Dutch, for the French — because this is the European Union border,” he said.
