02817nas a2200265   4500008004100000022001400041245016000055210006900215300001200284490000700296520190900303653001702212653002702229653002002256653001802276653001602294653001502310653001902325653001202344653001902356653001102375653002802386100001802414856011902432       2021                        eng d  a2300-168200aThe Forced Returns of Polish Citizens: Cross-Border Transfers on the Polish–German Border in the Context of the Discretionary Powers of the Border Guards0 aForced Returns of Polish Citizens CrossBorder Transfers on the P  a119-1420 v103 a<p>The Schengen area tends to be commonly misconstrued in the public perception as being &lsquo;border-free&rsquo;, defined by the unrestrained mobility of people, goods and capital. In reality the so-called &lsquo;internal borders&rsquo; are still marked by a fervour of activities, conducted by the various national state agencies created for the purpose of territorial protection. Identity and migration checks &ndash; which often strikingly resemble pre-Schengen border checks &ndash; special crime-prevention tasks and transnational operations of police-type forces, detention and the unrelenting transfers of asylum-seekers and forced returns of illegalised migrants (also of EU nationals) are only a few among the many responsibilities of the various border-guard formations. This paper, based on data from fieldwork with the street-level Polish Border Guards working in the Intra-Schengen border region on the Polish&ndash;German border, analyses the impact of different levels of institutional discretion: official, local and individual, with a particular focus on the officers&rsquo; behaviour and decision-making and on the role of discretion within the policy implementation of a specific procedure. Analysing the phenomenon of the forced returns (deportations) of EU nationals within the Schengen area, this paper exposes the nature of the little-known practice of cross-border transfers. It focuses on the phenomenon of a forced return of Polish citizens from Germany, specifically on the micro-level moment of transfer of custody between the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) into the hands of the Polish Border Guards (Straż Graniczna) on the Polish&ndash;German border, looking at the procedural variations and the decision-making of the officers, especially in the context of its street-level echelon and its practical contribution to the concept of deportability.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>10aBorder Guard10across-border transfers10adecision-making10adeportability10adeportation10adiscretion10aforced returns10aGermany10aintra-Schengen10aPoland10aremoval of EU nationals1 aKlajn, Maryla  uhttps://ceemr.uw.edu.pl/content/forced-returns-polish-citizens-cross-border-transfers-polish-german-border-context