The group included 18 Colombian citizens and one citizen each of Georgia and Tajikistan. All were ordered to return to their countries of origin, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The detentions were made by the Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP), the Border Guard and police in the northern Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on X.
CBŚP spokesman Krzysztof Wrześniowski said officers conducted checks at previously identified addresses in the towns of Gniewkowo and Ciechocinek, including places where the foreigners lived or were temporarily staying.
The operation followed an earlier inspection at a manufacturing plant where four Colombian citizens were detained for illegally staying in Poland, according to Wrześniowski.
Some of those detained did not have valid visas or other documents authorizing legal residence, had exceeded the permitted period of short-term stay, or lacked sufficient funds to cover their expenses and could not provide a credible source of income.
All 20 were issued decisions requiring them to leave Poland and return to their countries of origin, authorities said.
Poland issued 16,000 work visas to foreign nationals in the first quarter of 2026, an eightfold decrease from the same period in 2022, the interior ministry said earlier this year, citing the effects of tighter migration controls and stricter visa procedures.
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Source: PAP