Poland sends thousands of text messages to migrants at its border with Belarus

This is not a welcome message. Poland says it sent nearly 31,000 text messages to foreign phones along its border with Belarus on Tuesday, September 28, in a bid to deter migrants there from entering its territory. “The Polish border is closed. The Belarusian authorities lied to you. Go back to Minsk!”She said the message in English.

The text messages also contained a link to a site in English, French, Arabic, Russian and Polish that warns migrants against crossing borders illegally. ‘Could lead to imprisonment’. “Deteriorating weather conditions can put your life and health at risk, site added. Any attempt to hide and sleep irregularly (in the open air, outside) could end tragically.” Six migrants recently died at the border between the European Union and Belarus.

Poland has deployed thousands of soldiers to its 400-kilometre border in recent weeks, built a barbed wire fence and declared a state of emergency that prevents the press and NGOs from approaching it. With the temperatures dropping, the associations spoke of a humanitarian crisis among the migrants and demanded access to provide medical assistance.

Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of being the source of this wave of illegal immigration at its land borders, with nearly 10,000 entry attempts since early August. The European Union sees this as a form of retaliation against the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Belarus after the suppression of dissent by the Minsk regime.