Germany seeks to curb migrant crossings from Poland

Authorities in Germany say about 4,500 illegal crossings have been registered since August. Many of them are people from Syria and Iraq who flew to Belarus in the hope of reaching the EU via Poland.

Migrants sit in front of containers at the Central Initial Reception Facility for Asylum Seekers, ZABH, in the German state of Brandenburg in Eisenhuettenstadt, Germany, Oct. 6, 2021. (Photo | AP) 

BERLIN: Germany's top security official plans to announce new measures Wednesday to clamp down on migrants illegally crossing into the country from Poland.

Authorities in Germany say about 4,500 such crossings have been registered since August. Many of them are people from Syria and Iraq who flew to Belarus in the hope of reaching the European Union via Poland.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer was due to lay out his plans at a regular Cabinet meeting Wednesday before announcing them at a news conference in Berlin.

An Interior Minister spokesman, Steve Alter, said Tuesday that Germany has offered assistance to Poland by seconding additional border guards and providing logistical support for housing migrants in the country.

While Germany and other EU countries have backed Poland's efforts to protect its border with Belarus, Berlin has also raised concerns about the humanitarian situation of migrants picked up at the border.