Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has unveiled plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as part of a new approach to curb irregular migration. Speaking at a meeting of his centre-right Civic Coalition party in Warsaw, Tusk accused people smugglers, allegedly supported by Belarus and Russia, of exploiting the asylum system.
Since 2021, Poland has faced a significant increase in illegal border crossings, primarily by migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia entering from Belarus. Warsaw has accused Belarus and Russia of using “hybrid warfare” tactics to destabilize the EU by directing migrants towards its borders, though both countries deny the allegations.
The migration crisis escalated in August 2021, with the number of attempted crossings that month alone surpassing the total for 2020 by eight times. Daily attempts to cross the border continue. Tusk announced that the new migration policy would be presented at a government meeting on October 15, with one key measure being the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum. He emphasized his intention to seek European recognition for this decision, despite international laws requiring countries to offer asylum to those in need.
Tusk criticized Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and human traffickers for manipulating the asylum process, arguing that Poland must regain full control over its borders. Many migrants entering from Belarus continue onward to Germany, prompting Berlin to reinstate border checks with Poland.
Tusk’s pro-EU coalition government has maintained a hard-line stance on migration, continuing policies introduced by the previous right-wing Law and Justice administration. These include pushbacks and the construction of a 5.5-meter-high fence along 186 kilometers (115 miles) of the border with Belarus. While the previous government took a strict approach toward migrants from the Middle East and Asia, it also issued the highest number of annual residence and work permits in the EU.
The Civic Coalition has resumed pushbacks and reintroduced an exclusion zone along parts of the border. In July, following the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old soldier by migrants at the border, the government legalized the use of firearms by security forces in self-defense under specific circumstances. Opinion polls indicate strong public support for these measures, with 86% backing the use of weapons by security personnel.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski attributed the coalition’s electoral success in October to its firm migration policy, stating that their stance on border protection helped neutralize the issue for voters.
However, human rights groups have raised concerns about the government’s policies. NGOs estimate that over 130 migrants have died on both sides of the border with Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia since the crisis began. Malgorzata Szuleka, a board member of the Warsaw-based Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, criticized Tusk’s approach, calling for a rational, less populist-driven discussion on the humanitarian crisis at the border.
