In a video posted on X on Monday, Tusk said work permits for foreigners were down 69 percent and student visas 65 percent over the same period, adding that many permits were fictitious and used only to gain entry.
He said the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government had issued about 1 million visas a year from 2018 to 2023, or roughly 3,000 legal migrants a day, and that more than 20,000 illegal crossings from Belarus succeeded in 2022. This year, he said, there had been none.
“The PiS government opened Poland’s gates to all migrants more widely than any other European country”, he said.
Tusk said his government had sealed the border and tightened asylum rules, and that the absence of a visible migration problem in Poland was down to policy, not luck.
"Our migration policy is not about stirring up emotions and xenophobia," he said. "One can truly respect other people and at the same time do what is the duty of the state: guard the border, guard one’s own territory, and enforce the law ruthlessly on one’s own citizens and on foreigners."
He pointed to riots in France and a migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as evidence of failure elsewhere, and said he hoped western European countries could still change course and adopt Poland’s approach.
Tusk said Poland, Italy and Denmark had proposed wording on migration for the conclusions of the latest European Union summit in Brussels, in opposition to what he described as the ineffective policy of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Protests in France over the cost of living turned into riots on Saturday, with public buildings attacked and shops looted. Clashes with police and attempted looting followed in Paris and Marseille on Sunday.
In late July, more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, triggering a migration and humanitarian crisis. Most returned to Morocco within 48 hours.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Marcin Matuszewski