Fact Check: Does Poland allow border guards to shoot at migrants?
WASHINGTON, DC: A claim that Poland passed a law allowing border guards to shoot migrants has sparked debate over the country's border security policies. The claim has raised questions about whether Polish authorities can use firearms against migrants simply for crossing the border illegally. But does the law allow guards to shoot migrants without restrictions? Let's fact-check.
Claim: Poland passed a law allowing border guards to shoot at migrants
In mid-2026, social media users claimed that Poland had passed a law allowing border guards to shoot at migrants.
The claim spread on X and Facebook, where users shared a screenshot of a news article with the headline, “Poland passes bill allowing border guards to fire at illegal migrants.” Neither the posts nor the screenshot included the article's publication date or the date Poland allegedly passed the law. As a result, some users appeared to believe that the legislation was new.
A Facebook user shared a post claiming, “Poland Passes Bill Allowing Border Guards to Open Fire on Illegal Migrants if they attempt to Forcefully Cross the Border.” The user added a caption, “Be like Poland!”
Another user, David J Harris Jr., shared a screenshot with the headline, “Poland passes bill allowing border guards to fire at illegal migrants.” The screenshot also included a quote attributed to Poland's president: “This new legislation ‘will allow the border and other places to be protected even better, even more efficiently while also increasing the safety of the Polish soldier.’”
The Facebook user who shared the screenshot asked, “Do you support this?” Other commenters asked whether Poland was hiring border guards, with one asking, “What does it take to become a border guard?”
Fact Check: The claim is misleading
The claim is misleading. However, the Poland law sets specific conditions for using force, including situations involving direct threats to life, health, or freedom.
It does not permit border guards to shoot migrants simply because they attempt to cross the border illegally.
Although the law limits criminal liability for officers who violate certain rules on using force, human rights groups have raised concerns that the changes give security forces too much freedom to use force.
Therefore, the claim combines accurate information about the law with a misleading description of what it allows.
On August 14, 2024, Poland's then-President Andrzej Duda signed a bill into law that expanded the circumstances in which border guards and other security personnel could use firearms near the country's borders.
The law states, "A police officer, a Border Guard officer, or a Military Gendarmerie soldier does not commit a crime if, in connection with the performance of official duties or tasks, they use or employ measures of direct coercion or firearms in violation of the rules governing their use or employment, in the event of a direct and unlawful attack on the inviolability of the state border."
However, the legislation does not authorize officers to use firearms solely because someone is a migrant or attempts to cross the border without authorization.
