Poland detains 54 migrants, including 15 Afghans, at Lithuanian border

Poland’s Border Guard has detained 54 migrants who were being transported in a truck near the Polish-Lithuanian border, authorities said.

According to the Border Guard, the truck, which had Romanian registration plates, was carrying 54 undocumented migrants, including 30 Pakistani nationals, 15 Afghan nationals and nine Bangladeshi nationals. The vehicle was being driven by a Romanian citizen.

Authorities said the migrants will be returned to Lithuania under the readmission procedure, while the circumstances surrounding the attempted border crossing remain under investigation.

The incident comes as migration patterns in the region continue to shift. In recent months, illegal crossing attempts at the Belarus-Poland border have become less frequent, while migration pressure has increasingly moved to the Belarus-Latvia border.

After entering Latvia from Belarus, many migrants attempt to travel onward through Lithuania and Poland in an effort to reach Western European countries. As a result, Polish authorities have continued to intercept groups of undocumented migrants along the Polish-Lithuanian border, where temporary border controls remain in force.