He told reporters on Wednesday that all deportation decisions are justified and based on legal grounds.
The announcement follows a statement by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who revealed on Tuesday that security forces had conducted a large-scale crackdown on foreign criminal gangs operating in Poland.
Tusk said numerous arrests had been made and that deportations were now underway.
Siemoniak provided further details, stating that since the beginning of 2025, a total of 2,616 foreign nationals had been charged with crimes in Poland.
During a joint operation by police and border guards on February 13-14, authorities arrested 1,474 individuals, initiating deportation proceedings against 398 of them.
In the days that followed, law enforcement continued targeted actions against organized crime groups attempting to establish a foothold in Poland.
Speaking to journalists in the Polish upper house, the Senate, on Wednesday, Siemoniak confirmed that additional deportation flights were being arranged.
However, he noted that some of those detained in recent days would first serve prison sentences in Poland before deportation.
"The scale is significant. We will continue to provide updates on these deportation flights,” Siemoniak said.
At the same time, Siemoniak declared that law-abiding foreigners are welcome in Poland.
"Criminals absolutely are not," he added.
The minister told reporters that foreign nationals commit a range of offenses. Many involve labor law violations, such as working without a permit, overstaying visas, or traffic offenses.
However, he acknowledged that more serious crimes—including armed robbery, burglary and murder—are also committed by foreign offenders.
Among those facing deportation or legal action, Ukrainians and Georgians form the largest groups.
Siemoniak said that this is partly due to the high number of Ukrainian nationals residing in Poland, estimated at around 2 million.
He stressed that deportations are not issued for minor offenses.
"No one is deported for a traffic violation," he said. "But repeated violations of residency or work permit rules can lead to expulsion."
The minister recalled that nearly 8,000 individuals were expelled from Poland last year and stressed the government's "firm stance" on law enforcement, state news agency PAP reported.
“We are implementing a strict policy," he said. "If someone does not respect Polish law or breaks it, there is no place for them in Poland."
He also defended the February 13-14 operation, saying it was well-planned and based on solid intelligence.
"We targeted specific locations where there were strong suspicions of criminal activity," he told the media. "No one was randomly stopped on the street."
Earlier, on February 11, during a joint press conference with Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, Siemoniak said that foreign nationals made up 5 percent of all crime suspects in Poland in 2024.
He added that while this figure warranted attention, major urban centers remained the most affected by crime.
Asked about broader crime prevention measures, Siemoniak said the government was working with the justice ministry to strengthen law enforcement, including bolstering the criminal investigations division within the police force.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, interia.pl