BRUSSELS — Poland is moving ahead with a controversial new law, backed by European Union leaders, to suspend access to asylum for new arrivals crossing into the country through Belarus after accusing Moscow of weaponizing migration flows to upend security in the region.
The measure has cleared Poland’s parliament and is expected to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday.
“Every day of delay puts our border guards, soldiers and police officers at further risk by prolonging this acute crisis at the border. Thanks to this tough policy, we’re effectively stopping the wave,” said Tusk in Brussels, following a meeting of the bloc’s leaders the day before.
In October, Tusk claimed the influx of would-be migrants, with many from Africa and the Middle East, was orchestrated by Russia, calling it “hybrid warfare.” Belarusian border guards are alleged to be actively aiding the groups attempting to cross the border, Tusk said previously, in a bid to tie up resources and destabilize Poland.
The law would empower the government to suspend registration of asylum claims in designated border zones for up to 60 days, which could be extended with parliament’s approval. Vulnerable groups — including unaccompanied minors and pregnant women — are exempt.
“Every day we’re seeing 100, 150, even 200 attempts to cross the border illegally,” Tusk said.
Critics and rights groups have criticized the plan, calling it “unlawful” and warning that implementing “abusive pushbacks” violates both EU and international refugee law. A report published this week accused Polish and Belarusian forces of systematically abusing migrants trapped in the Białowieża Forest. The report detailed beatings, dog attacks and forced returns by Polish guards, as well as torture and rape by Belarusian forces.
Pushbacks — the practice of summarily expelling people without allowing them to apply for asylum — have also been condemned by the U.N. refugee agency as unlawful.
The asylum suspension is the latest chapter in Poland’s hardening migration policy ahead of the country’s presidential election in May.
This is not the first wave of migration Poland has attempted to stem. In 2021, Poland faced a national emergency as tens of thousands of people attempted to cross its border with Belarus as its leader Alexander Lukashenko weaponized desperate migrants in retaliation for sanctions imposed on him and his allies.
“We’re not going to be the only ones on the front line while others hesitate,” Tusk added.
Tusk, a former European Council president, has leveraged his Brussels connections to secure support for the move. He first proposed it at a meeting of EU leaders in October last year, where they endorsed exemptions to asylum rules in “exceptional situations” involving threats from Russia and Belarus.
The government also plans to launch an information campaign in migrants’ countries of origin, warning that irregular arrivals will no longer be able to claim protection in Poland.
“They’ll just be throwing their money away,” Tusk said.
While defending the eastern border crackdown, Tusk dismissed opposition calls to also close Poland’s western border with Germany to stem the return of asylum seekers, calling the idea “brutal and unnecessary” and arguing it would hurt ordinary Poles who live and work in the region. Warsaw will not comply with EU rules requiring it to take back migrants from other member states under the Dublin Regulation.
“Poland is carrying enough burden,” he said. “We will not take anyone back.”
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