Shorouk Express
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.”
