Thousands of Poles in the US could be deported, according to Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister, speaking to RMF FM radio. The Ministry advises those without a legal stay in the US to return to Poland. Bartoszewski suggests that those facing difficulties should contact the Polish consulates in the US. “We will help our citizens to come back to the country. We are very happy and call on all Polish citizens to come back and work here, as there is practically no unemployment” he said.
According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, the consular services in the US are ready to issue documents for a safe return to Poland. An additional consular service has been opened in Chicago.
Andrzej Śliwka, a member of the Right and Justice party, stated that Polish citizens in the US have nothing to fear, as the deportations only concern specific groups of migrants. It mainly affects illegal immigrants who have crossed the US-Mexican border, Śliwka said.
Mateusz Sakowicz, Poland’s General Consul in New York, stated that the consulate has not observed the Polish community fearing mass deportations. Sakowicz emphasized that he has not seen the topic of deportations dominating conversations at various events he attended over the weekend. “In my opinion, the problem of Polish deportation is not significant, as the majority of them have a regular immigration status” he said. He added that he would not speculate on the decisions of the new US administration, saying “That’s just speculations for now.”
On Tuesday, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the Polish consulates in the US should prepare for possible mass deportations of illegal migrants. “After the initial announcements about possible deportations of illegal immigrants from the United States, I instructed the Foreign Minister to prepare our consulates in the United States for the possible consequences of this decision for Polish citizens working and living in the United States, with different statuses and different degrees of legality” Tusk said at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Tusk added that the US administration has not provided any details on the “biggest deportation action in the history of the US” announced by Donald Trump and Warsaw has not received any information on whether this measure will affect Polish citizens.
On January 20, Trump took office as US President, and on his first day, he declared a state of emergency at the US-Mexico border and instructed the US military to secure the border.
During his presidential campaign, Trump announced a harder migration policy, including deporting millions of immigrants without a legal stay in the US.
In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump said, “All illegal immigration will be stopped, and we will start the process of the big, beautiful wall, and we will start the process of the big, beautiful deportation, of millions and millions of criminal aliens back to their countries of origin.