Poland to strengthen border controls, deny asylum amid migration crisis
Poland plans to temporarily deny asylum as part of a new policy aimed at minimizing illegal migration, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Oct. 12, according to Bloomberg.
Tusk's announcement comes weeks after Germany extended border controls with neighboring countries and follows years of migration crisis that Poland links to actions by Russian and Belarusian dictators.
"One element of the strategy will be the temporary territorial suspension of the right of asylum, and I will be calling for this decision to be recognized in Europe," Tusk said.
“The asylum system is exploited by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as by smugglers, people smugglers, people traffickers — how the right to asylum is used exactly against the essence of the right to asylum.”
Poland will strengthen border controls, despite potential disapproval from the European Union, he added.
"We will not respect and implement any EU ideas if we are certain that they are detrimental to our security," Tusk said, commenting on the EU's migration pact.
In addition to Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands in September also asked the EU to exempt them from the asylum agreement, while Denmark called for stricter migration rules within the EU.
In May 2024, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to build defensive fortifications called Tarcza Wschod (Eastern Shield) along the 400-kilometer border with Russia and Belarus to deter potential aggression and protect against migrant influx.
The construction of a network of fortifications, barriers, bunkers, and surveillance systems is expected to begin by the end of the current year. The cost of the Eastern Shield is estimated at 10 billion zlotys (over $2.5 billion), with completion planned for 2028.
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