Poland extends asylum restrictions at Belarus border for another 60 days

Poland’s parliament on Friday approved another 60-day suspension of the right to apply for asylum for migrants illegally crossing the country’s border with Belarus, TVP World reported.

A total of 418 lawmakers voted in favor of the extension, while 16 opposed it.

The measure, which will take effect Sept. 18, marks the ninth consecutive renewal.

Poland first suspended the right to claim asylum at the Belarus border in March 2025, following what Polish officials described as an influx of mostly Middle Eastern and African migrants entering the EU through Belarus.

In a motion submitted to parliament, the government said “dangerous incidents have regularly occurred in which aggressive foreign nationals attacked Polish patrols.”

It said migrants had thrown stones, bottles, bricks and other objects at Polish personnel and damaged sections of border barriers.

The government also accused Belarusian state services of participating in attacks on Polish soldiers, police officers and border guards.

It said border guards had prevented attempts supported by Belarusian state services to build and use tunnels beneath the frontier to move groups of foreign nationals into Poland.

Between March 2025 and Aug. 16, Polish authorities rejected 492 asylum applications and accepted 178 from migrants in vulnerable groups, according to government figures.

Meanwhile, attempted illegal crossings have fallen sharply.

Polish Interior Ministry figures showed 235 attempts during the first half of this year, compared with more than 15,500 during the same period in 2025.

Polish and EU authorities have linked the influx to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while human rights groups have accused Polish authorities of pushing some migrants back to Belarus without allowing them to seek asylum.

Dozens of migrants are believed to have died in the border area since 2021.