Human Missiles

Poland will temporarily stop granting asylum, officials said over the weekend, a move aimed at halting the number of migrants entering the country that it says are part of a plot by Russia and Belarus to destabilize the European Union, the BBC reported.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed a new migration policy during a meeting Saturday of his center-right Civic Coalition political grouping, saying the measures would include “the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum.”

He accused human traffickers, aided by Russia and Belarus, of abusing the asylum system, adding that Poland “must take back 100 percent control” over who enters the country.

The new measures will be presented Tuesday, with Tusk noting that he will “demand recognition” in the EU for decision, which observers predict will spark pushback from the bloc.

International law stipulates that nations are obliged to offer people the right to claim asylum.

Since 2021, Poland has been handling a migration crisis at the border with Belarus. Tens of thousands of refugees – primarily from the Middle East, Africa and Asia – have been crossing the country illegally via that crossing for the past three years.

Poland and other EU countries have described the situation as a strategy of “hybrid warfare” by Russia and its ally Belarus to destabilize the 27-nation bloc.

Both countries have denied involvement, but Belarus is alleged to be offering visas to individuals and families from war-torn nations, such as Syria, and encouraging them to fly to Belarus as a transit stop on the way to the EU, according to Politico.

Amnesty International has warned that many asylum seekers have been beaten and physically abused by Belarusian security forces.

Even so, Tusk’s ruling coalition has surprised many with its tougher stance on migration policy.

In July, the Polish government passed a bill that would allow security forces to use firearms in self-defense following the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old soldier by migrants at the border.

European officials and human rights advocates have expressed concerns about the measures, with some calling them “a new low.”

Still, opinion polls show that much of the Polish public supports the tougher measures, with 86 percent of respondents supporting the use of weapons in self-defense by members of the security services.