Poland’s recent suspension of asylum rights at its border with Belarus has significantly reduced illegal immigration, according to a report from Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita. The number of attempts to cross the border illegally has been cut in half, while asylum applications have crashed nearly 97 percent, or roughly 30-fold.
The report from Rzeczpospolita highlights that the restrictions, implemented by Donald Tusk’s government in late March, have successfully deterred irregular migrants. This is evidenced by a record-low number of protection applications since the onset of the hybrid war launched by Belarus in May 2021, which has involved sending migrants to the Polish border en masse, many of whom move on to other EU countries.
Data from the Border Guard Headquarters, obtained by Rzeczpospolita, reveals that in the first two months following the policy change, only 29 foreigners from “sensitive groups” (exempted from the ban) were granted international protection. These cases included a 77-year-old Russian citizen, two 17-year-olds from Yemen and Syria, and two pregnant women from Cameroon.
In contrast, only 23 illegal immigrants filed asylum applications under the new regulations. This figure starkly contrasts with the same period last year (March 27 to May 22, 2024), when nearly 800 applications covering over 860 individuals were filed in the Podlaskie and Nadbużański Border Guard Divisions.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Juźwiak, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard, stated that from March 27 to May 22, 2025, over 6,100 attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border were recorded. This marks a significant decrease from the over 11,700 attempts observed during the corresponding period last year.
Rzeczpospolita points out that Poland is only the second EU country, after Finland, to suspend asylum rights, citing the “instrumentalization of migration” as justification. This approach allows the state to potentially override aspects of international law, including the Geneva Convention.
As Remix News previously reported, it has been revealed by French newspaper Le Monde that the EU has been holding back criticism of the Tusk government on the issue of migration at the moment due to the Polish presidential elections. Ursula von der Leyen and others want to ensure the left-liberal candidate wins, which will cement the left’s power in Poland.
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