Poland Halts Illegal Immigrants from Seeking Asylum

March 27, 2025 TruthUSA

Poland has accused Russia and Belarus of orchestrating a crisis by facilitating the movement of thousands of Middle Eastern and African migrants across its eastern border.

Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a bill into law on March 26 that suspends the right of illegal immigrants to claim asylum.

“I believe that it is necessary to strengthen the security of our borders and the security of Poles,” Duda said when announcing the law.

“The most important thing is to defend the Polish border and the Polish services that guard it.”

The new legislation introduces temporary restrictions of up to 60 days on the right to submit an application for international protection for those who have illegally crossed the border into NATO and European Union member states.

On the social media platform X, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the government would quickly adopt the law.

In February, Human Rights Watch criticized the law for violating the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights’ obligation on member states to ensure the right to asylum.

The law includes exceptions for vulnerable individuals, such as unaccompanied children, pregnant women, and those in need of special care due to age or health, as well as Belarusian citizens and those who can prove they are at risk of serious harm if returned to Belarus.

The Polish government’s stringent stance on illegal immigration and asylum-seekers dates back to 2021.

Since then, tens of thousands of mostly Middle Eastern and African men have attempted to cross the Poland-Belarus border illegally.

Warsaw and Brussels allege this crisis is manufactured by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, although Moscow and Minsk deny any involvement.

According to preliminary data released by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) on Jan. 4, there were 17,001 recorded crossings via the Eastern Borders route in 2024, reflecting a 192 percent increase from the previous year.

The majority of these individuals are young men, mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia.

Polish authorities have implemented extensive security measures along the border, including border guards, soldiers, steel barriers with razor wire, security cameras, drones, helicopters, and armored vehicles to prevent illegal crossings.

Officials claim that immigrants enter Belarus on tourist or student visas and are assisted in crossing the border for a hefty fee.

They also allege that Belarusian security services and other “organizers” facilitate this illegal activity.

Polish officials state that approximately 90 percent of illegal immigrants at the border hold Russian visas.

In May 2024, a Polish soldier was fatally stabbed by a would-be illegal immigrant, with the attacker evading capture by fleeing to the Belarus side of the barrier. The soldier succumbed to his injuries the following month.

Finland Wants to Extend Ban

Poland is not the only country responding to illegal immigration pressure; Finland has also taken stringent measures.

Finland’s government requested parliament to extend a law allowing the rejection of asylum applications from illegal immigrants crossing the closed eastern border with Russia and their deportation until the end of 2026, as announced on March 27.

NATO member Finland has accused Russia of using migration as a weapon.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen emphasized, “The threat of instrumentalized migration at Finland’s eastern border remains high and unpredictable.”

The current emergency legislation, approved in July 2024, is set to expire on July 21 and was implemented in response to over 1,300 illegal immigrants from countries like Syria, Iraq, and Yemen entering Finland from Russia in 2023. Finland shut its borders with Russia indefinitely last year.

In 2024, only eight individuals crossed the border illegally after January, according to Interior Ministry data.

The Associated Press, Reuters, and Guy Birchall contributed to this report.

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