World
October 13, 2024 20:36
warsaw - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk calls for control over borders to ensure security and minimize illegal migration in Poland.
Intentionally, Donald Tusk stirred up controversy by presenting Poland's goal of minimizing illegal migration. As an experienced prime minister until 2019, he sought 'recognition' from the EU for his new migration policy. The objective, as he stated, was to 'regain control and ensure security.' According to Tusk, 'there is no more dignified policy than border protection, especially concerning accidents or deaths at the Belarus border.'
For years, the NATO country has vigilantly guarded the eastern border of the Union to combat a hybrid war initiated by President Putin and Dictator Lukashenko, who funneled tens of thousands of African and Arab migrants through Moscow and Minsk towards the Polish border. Belarusian border guards forcibly and illegally push them across the border to the West.
Therefore, the nationalist government of Tusk's predecessor, Mateusz Morawiecki, constructed a hundreds of kilometers long border fence with barbed wire, heavily monitored by the military, customs, and police. Aid workers and journalists were banned from proximity to the border. The fence cuts through swamps and forests where many migrants have perished due to extreme conditions.
In Catholic Poland, only seven thousand people applied for asylum last year, significantly fewer than in neighboring Germany with 330,000 applicants. With 210 asylum applications per million inhabitants, Poland lags behind compared to the Netherlands, which has ten times as many according to Eurostat figures. The Schoof government recently requested an opt-out from the EU, likely facing low chances of approval.
Most illegal migrants passing through Poland do not intend to stay but continue their journey to Germany. Recently, Berlin decided to enhance border controls at both its eastern and western borders, a move also considered by the Dutch government.
In addition to illegal migration, Poland faced legal but politically undesirable migration. A previous government's corrupt diplomats facilitated the entry of 366,000 people from Africa and Arab countries into Warsaw, as revealed by an NIK audit. Migrants paid for expedited visa processing.
Officially, countries are obligated to consider asylum requests, but Warsaw is accused by the UN and the Council of Europe of conducting illegal pushbacks at the EU external border, a criticism Poland disregards.
'Poland must fully control who enters the country,' stated Tusk. He emphasized, 'We will minimize illegal migration.' Essentially, this policy aligns with Hungary's Orban government, known for scarce asylum applications. Warsaw aims to unify with Prague in Brussels.
Tusk also distanced himself from the European migration pact set to launch next year. He opposes refugee redistribution, asserting, 'We will not implement European ideas if our security is at risk.' He cited negative incidents in Germany, including terrorism, rape, and stabbings committed by asylum seekers.