Joint operations by the Border Guard and police in Warsaw's Wawer district resulted in the detention of six individuals suspected of residing in Poland in violation of regulations. The checks took place on Sunday in hostels inhabited by foreigners. Simultaneously, the Silesian Border Guard unit released statistics for the entire year – since January, 1,826 foreigners have been checked, of which 437, or nearly 25%, did not have the right to stay. In recent days, the largest group among those detained were citizens of Colombia.
Detentions in Warsaw
As a result of actions in the Wawer district, six foreigners were detained. The operation was conducted by officers from the Warsaw Border Guard Post together with police officers from the precinct on Mrówcza Street. The checks focused on hostels, where documents authorizing residence were verified.
Scale of Controls in Silesia
The Silesian Border Guard Unit has conducted checks on 1,826 foreigners in the Silesia and Opole regions since the beginning of 2026. The services announce that this number will systematically increase as actions are conducted on an ongoing basis.
High Percentage of Illegal Stays
Among all those checked in Silesia, 437 individuals, or nearly 25%, could not prove the legality of their stay in Poland. In just the last three days before February 24, 26 such cases were identified.
Citizens of Colombia and Uzbekistan
Among individuals detained in recent days in Silesia, citizens of Colombia dominated (9 individuals). In Warsaw, however, according to one source, four of the six detained are citizens of Uzbekistan. The Border Guard indicates that Colombian citizens can enter the Schengen area based on a valid passport.
Over the past weekend, authorities carried out coordinated control actions targeting illegal migration. The culmination of these efforts was a Sunday operation in the Warsaw district of Wawer, where officers from the Warsaw Border Guard Post, supported by police officers from the local precinct, checked seven targeted hostels. The goal was to verify the legality of stay, purpose of arrival, and living conditions of foreigners. As a result, six individuals were detained who, according to the authorities' findings, were residing in Poland contrary to applicable regulations. One article specifies that among those detained were four citizens of Uzbekistan. Poland, as an external border country of the European Union, has for years conducted intensified migration controls. Following the 2021 migration crisis and mass attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus, the government significantly increased resources and personnel dedicated to border protection and preventive actions within the country.Parallel to the actions in Warsaw, the Silesian Border Guard Unit published broader statistics illustrating the scale of year-round controls. Since the beginning of 2026, officers in the Silesia and Opole regions have checked a total of 1,826 foreigners. This number, as the services emphasize, will systematically increase as controls are conducted continuously. These data show a significant intensification of preventive actions. The control results are concerning – as many as 437 individuals, constituting nearly 25% of all those checked, were unable to present documents authorizing legal residence in Poland. A detailed contribution to these statistics are the detentions from the last three days, which occurred before February 24. In this short period, 26 individuals residing illegally were identified. The largest national group in this cohort were citizens of Colombia – nine individuals. Additionally, seven citizens of Georgia, two of Moldova, and one each from Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe were detained. Importantly, the Border Guard notes that Colombian citizens have the right to visa-free entry into the Schengen area based on a valid biometric passport. Their presence among those detained therefore suggests that the problem may not lie in the entry itself, but in exceeding the permitted period of stay (e.g., 90 days within 180) or in taking up employment without appropriate authorization, which constitutes a violation of residence conditions. The described actions fit into the broader strategy of the Border Guard and Police, involving the combination of border controls with actions inside the country. Such joint patrols and operations, often initiated by the Border Guard, aim to identify and detain individuals who, despite legally crossing the border, subsequently violate the law by overstaying or working without required documents. The method of checking collective accommodation places, such as hostels, is commonly used, as these are locations often chosen by migrant workers. The presented statistics from Silesia show that the scale of the phenomenon is significant and is not limited only to large urban areas or border regions, but also concerns industrial regions of the country where there may be demand for unregistered labor. These actions take place in the context of a broader European debate on migration and the effectiveness of the asylum system.