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Poland launches campaign to deter illegal migrants: FM

30.05.2025 18:00
Poland has launched an information campaign aimed at discouraging migrants from outside Europe from attempting to cross its borders illegally, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Friday.
Photo:
Photo:Polish Border Guard/X/Straz_Graniczna

"An information campaign aimed at illegal migrants is getting underway in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Pakistan and Egypt," Sikorski said in a post on X.

"Poland is effectively safeguarding its borders ... The government is doing its job," he declared.

'The Polish-Belarusian border is not a gateway to Europe'

He shared a video message saying: "Those who promised you a flourishing life in Europe are lying. The Polish-Belarusian border is not a gateway to Europe."

The message cautions that "the Polish border is protected by tall walls, equipped with modern mechanical devices, and guarded by thousands of soldiers."

The video also tells potential migrants that Poland is "currently strengthening its refugee law," and warns that "if someone crosses the border illegally, they will not receive asylum."

Officials said last month that the campaign would target seven countries from which the highest number of migrants attempt to enter Poland.

The aim is to warn would-be migrants that Poland is not a viable entry point to Europe and to counter misinformation spread by smugglers and foreign actors, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

'No entry'

"No entry. The Polish border is sealed," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a video message in early April.

"Do not believe the smugglers," he added, naming Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"They are lying to you when they say the road to Europe leads through Poland," Tusk warned. "It does not."

Poland and the European Union have accused Russia and Belarus of deliberately funneling migrants from the Middle East and Africa to the Polish border.

Sikorski said earlier this year that Russia and Belarus were orchestrating a migrant crisis on the EU’s eastern border in an attempt to destabilise the bloc from within.

In March, Poland enacted a measure allowing the government to temporarily suspend the right to asylum at its border with Belarus. It has also reinforced its electronic surveillance barrier along the border and established a buffer zone in the area to prevent people smuggling.

The Polish government in October announced a new migration strategy aimed at reducing migrant numbers and tightening control over immigration processes.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP