Poland has today temporarily suspended the right to apply for asylum for migrants arriving in Poland via the country’s eastern border with Belarus.
The move, which sees migrants’ ability to apply for asylum restricted for a period of 60 days, comes in response to what Poland describes as the exploitation of migration by its eastern neighbour, Belarus.
The new law allows a maximum 60-day suspension of the right, with the approval of the Polish parliament required if the government seeks an extension.
However, it’s believed that the government would face no difficulty in securing approval given a clear majority of MPs backed the law in a previous vote.
In a statement issued today by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s office, it’s stated that the regulation, which was signed into law yesterday by Polish President Andrzej Duda, is intended to counteract actions “by Belarus, which, in cooperation with Russia and international criminal groups, organizes the transfer of migrants to the European Union”.
“The adopted solution is to prevent the destabilisation of the internal situation on the territory of Poland. For several years, Belarus has been conducting an organised operation aimed at disrupting public order in our country, but also in other EU countries. The effect of this operation is a sharp increase in the number of illegal crossings of the Polish-Belarusian border,” the statement reads.
The Prime Minister’s office claims that foreigners “brought in via the Belarusian route” are mainly from Afghanistan, Syria and Sub-Saharan Africa, “for whom Poland has never been a destination/transit country before”.
It adds that migrants have been instructed in detail on how to “abuse” the procedure for applying for international protection.
A migration crisis has been underway at Poland’s eastern border since 2021, when migrants began to arrive in large numbers along land routes from Belarus. However, since then, Polish authorities have noted a change in the composition of the migrants appearing at the eastern border.
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz claimed in June last year that while in previous years the Belarusian authorities directed mainly women and children to the border, it is now “specialised groups of thugs” who attack officers that are stationed at the border.
Last June saw the first Polish soldier killed since the beginning of the crisis, when 21-year-old Mateusz Sitek died after he was stabbed with a knife tied to a stick while trying to stop a group of migrants forcing their way across the border from Belarus.
Reports have noted a serious uptick in aggression and violence from some of those trying to cross the border, with a number of Polish officers injured and hospitalised in the course of the engagement.
In response to the increased violence and unrest at the border, Poland has implemented a number of measures designed to make it easier for authorities to deter and detain migrants crossing the border.
Rules signed off on by Poland’s president last August made it easier for soldiers and other officers serving at the country’s eastern border to use firearms, as they will no longer face criminal liability for using their guns in certain cases.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, in March 2025, there was again a “sharp increase in the number of attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border”. Figures provided indicate that from January 1 to March 20, over 2,200 attempts were recorded, of which almost 1,400 cases took place in March.
“In the coming months, a further significant increase in attempted crossings of the Polish border is likely. There is also still aggressive and planned behaviour by foreigners, who pose a risk to the lives and health of Polish officers and soldiers,” the statement said.
“The regulation gives border guard officers one of the key tools to combat illegal migration, which is an element of hybrid aggression against Poland and to combat international crime,” Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said, adding “We are working for the security of our border.”
The Polish government has said that exemptions will be made for vulnerable people, such as unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, and those in need of specialist healthcare.