Poland Suspends Right to Asylum

March 31st, 2025

Azzy Xiang

In an attempt to "take back control" of its borders, Poland announced the right to claim asylum will be suspended for 60 days except for unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, elderly or unwell people, and those exposed to "real risk of serious harm." This is a response to an influx of migrants at the Belarus border, and Polish government officials are inclined to believe that Russia has pressured Belarus to force migrants into Poland to cause instability in the EU. Poland has built a barbed wire fence on a long stretch of border, and arrested 100 migrants attempting to cross together.

However, Poland's suspension clashes with international law and European Union rules. Prime Minister Donald Tusk is not backing down despite this, stating that the European border must be protected at all costs, calling Belarusian dictators' tactics as ways to weaponize migration. The over 26,000 people who have crossed from Belarus in 2025 alone also prompted Germany to add border restrictions. These suspensions echo Finland's action of temporarily closing its border with Russia in November 2024, refusing to process new asylum-seeking applications. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia also expressed they will engage in similar actions if they face the same tactics from Belarus and Russia.

The tactics of directing migrants towards the European Union are known as "hybrid warfare," leading to illegal crossing of the border and tensions in the region, although both Belarus and Russia denied that they were intending to cause these effects. Rights groups have begun to express concern over Poland's migration policy, as more than 130 migrants have died on the border since the crisis began, leading to humanitarian disaster. Members of the Polish parliament are being pressured to reject the temporary suspension, so that asylum claims can be individually assessed and prevent degrading treatment of people trapped in Belarus. Under the law, border guards would assess who qualifies for exemptions, yet they are not trained to make these determinations appropriately.