Migration Campaign and Public Pressure

South Africa is carrying out one of its biggest security operations on undocumented migrants in years, following weeks of anti-immigration protests that have seen violence, intimidation, and looting. Protesters have been demanding tighter border controls and mass deportations, accusing migrants of contributing to high unemployment, rising crime rates, and the collapse of public services.

Anti-migrant activists have threatened to stage weekly protests to pressure the government until their demands are met, and there are fears the protests could turn violent. The demonstrators had set an ‘unofficial deadline’ of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave the country, which has seen many foreigners leave to escape violence and intimidation.

International Response and Deportation Figures

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, ‘which is dominated by the Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans’. Several countries. Including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya, have flown their citizens home in recent weeks.

The UN has warned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges; the migration campaign has sparked international attention and concern over the treatment of undocumented migrants and the potential for increased tensions.

Migration Trends Between Germany and Poland

While the South African migration campaign focuses on removing foreign nationals, a different trend is emerging between Germany and Poland, while According to AOL.de, nearly 5,000 Germans moved to Poland in 2025. At the same time. More Poles returned to their home country from Germany than new migrants coming in, marking a significant shift.

For the first time in decades. More Poles left Germany in 2024 than arrived, though Destatis data shows that about 95,000 Polish citizens left Germany, while around 84,000 came from Poland to Germany. This resulted in a negative migration balance of about 11,000 people. Previously, the trend was the opposite, with Germany being a top destination for Polish workers since the EU accession in 2004 and especially after full labor freedom in 2011.

Polish citizens made up 6.6 percent of the working-age foreign population in Germany in 2024 — the third-largest group after Turks and Ukrainians. That year. The net migration of this group declined for the first time since the introduction of labor freedom in 2011, the migration balance dropped from plus 15,000 to minus 11,000 people.