warsaw is actively working to dissuade potential migrants from attempting to cross its border with Belarus.A new public awareness campaign has been initiated in seven countries across Africa and Asia, targeting those who might be considering making the journey.

Campaign Details

• Target Countries: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Egypt.
• Objective: To counter misinformation spread by people smugglers and Belarusian authorities regarding entry into the European union via poland.
• Methods: Social media and public space advertisements translated into local languages.

Official statements

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski shared a video on social media aimed at potential migrants, stating:

Those who promised you a flourishing life in Europe are lying. The Polish-Belarusian border is not a gate to Europe.

radosław Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister

The message emphasizes the strength of Poland’s border security:

The Polish border is protected by tall walls, full of modernised mechanical devices and thousand[s] [of] soldiers.Poland currently strengthens its refugee law…If someone illegally crosses the border,they will not receive asylum.

Polska skutecznie chroni swoich granic.
W Afganistanie, Etiopii, Erytrei, Somalii, Pakistanie i Egipcie rusza kampania informacyjna skierowana do nielegalnych migrantów. Państwo działa. pic.twitter.com/kUNnSilIgc

– Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) May 30, 2025

Legal and Physical Measures

poland has implemented several measures to deter illegal border crossings:

• Asylum Law: suspended the right to claim asylum for migrants entering from Belarus.
• Border Security: Strengthened physical barriers, electronic monitoring, and introduced an exclusion zone.

Government Rationale

Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s office explained the campaign as:

A response to the cooperation of smugglers and the state apparatuses of Russia and Belarus, the effects of which are the enormous migration pressure on our eastern border and the tragedies of thousands of people brought by regimes unfriendly to Poland.

Ancient Context

Since 2021, the Polish-Belarusian border has been a focal point of migration attempts. Both the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government and the current governance have enacted stringent measures to manage the situation.

In the two months since Poland suspended asylum rights for migrants entering from Belarus, the numbers of attempted border crossings and applications for international protection have significantly fallen, according to data from the Polish border guard https://t.co/gAyxUIrA55

– Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 27, 2025

Criticism and Support

Poland’s approach has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, especially regarding the practice of pushing back migrants into Belarus.

these groups highlight the tragic consequences:

Well over 100 people are reported to have died around the border since the beginning of the crisis, ofen after being forced back and cross it by the Polish and Belarusian authorities.

Though, the EU has shown support for Poland’s actions.EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated:

Poland’s decision to suspend asylum claims is correct under EU law.

Magnus Brunner, EU commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

Brunner also praised Poland for protecting the EU’s eastern frontier from weaponised migration, calling it Europe’s first line of defence.

Poland’s recent decision to suspend asylum rights is “correct under European law”, says the EU’s migration commissioner.

During a visit to the Polish-Belarusian border,he thanked Poland for protecting the EU’s eastern frontier from “weaponised” migration https://t.co/4mKWXABhO2

– Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 26, 2025