PiS Announces Plans for Deportation of Ukrainian Men of Conscription Age Not Legally Employed

Poland's Law and Justice party (PiS) has announced plans to deport Ukrainian men of conscription age who are not legally employed in the country, framing it as a measure to ensure regional security and encourage Ukraine's victory in its war.

Tobiasz Bocheński, PiS vice-chairman and MEP, stated that a key decision of a future PiS government would be the deportation of these men, giving them an "opportunity to fight for their homeland." The proposal, according to earlier reports, would also target individuals working in the informal economy.

As part of its proposed reforms, PiS intends to establish an integrated system for managing foreigners, dubbed "Illegal Alert." This platform would consolidate data from various state offices, creating individual accounts for each foreigner detailing their residency, employment, and interactions with authorities. Bocheński claimed this system would enable swift identification of individuals violating regulations, potentially leading to deportation procedures.

Furthermore, PiS plans to create deportation centers to streamline the execution of such decisions. The party's broader migration policy aims to be restrictive, including harsher penalties for illegal border crossings. Bocheński referenced the situation in Ceuta, Spain, as an example of mass migration that Poland has successfully resisted, citing it as a model for border security.

Bocheński emphasized that all decisions regarding foreigners' residency would be conditional and reversible, stressing the importance of respecting Polish laws and regulations for those choosing to live in the country. Official figures from 2025 indicated over 11,000 registered unemployed Ukrainian citizens in Poland, though data on gender breakdown was not provided. The PiS proposal, however, extends beyond registered unemployed individuals to include those working illegally.