Warsaw
Several military facilities in Poland’s western Lubusz province have been repurposed into a guarded center for migrants that can accommodate several hundreds, Polish Border Guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska said on Tuesday.
“In Wedrzyn village of Lubusz Voivodeship, we are repurposing military facilities into a guarded center for foreigners.
Eventually, this center can accommodate up to several hundred people,” Michalska told Polish radio station RMF FM.
About 1,000 migrants are currently housed in similar facilities after being caught illegally crossing the Polish border, the spokeswoman said, adding that Poland’s capacity to accommodate them has not been exhausted and more guarded sites can be arranged should the need arise.
Poland tightened border security in August citing an influx of migrants from Belarus.
Two months earlier, neighboring Lithuania declared an emergency for the same reason.
According to the Polish border guard service, almost 2,100 people have tried to cross into Poland from Belarus illegally during August so far, compared to about 120 people in the entirety of 2020.—AP
