Silesian Police in Bytom arrested a 32-year-old Ukrainian citizen on narcotics charges earlier this month and, after consultation with the regional Border Guard unit in Ruda Śląska, initiated fast-track removal proceedings. The man, who had multiple prior convictions, was escorted to the Polish-Ukrainian frontier and expelled on 21 September 2026 with a five-year re-entry ban. The case illustrates Poland’s growing use of administrative expulsion for foreign nationals deemed threats to public order—a power broadened under amendments to the Act on Foreigners that took effect in March. Cooperation protocols between local police commands and the Border Guard allow criminal and immigration proceedings to run in parallel, shortening the time high-risk offenders remain in the country. For employers, the incident is a reminder to keep audit trails for third-country employees and verify that any arrest is reported promptly, as failure to do so could jeopardise the company’s ability to sponsor future permits. Ukrainian nationals continue to form the largest non-EU workforce in Poland; HR teams should brief assignees that even minor drug offences can now trigger immediate deportation. Authorities emphasise that the accelerated process does not circumvent judicial oversight: the deportation decision can be appealed, but only from outside Polish territory once the individual has been removed.
