Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed a law that limits the acceptance of asylum applications, Polish media reported on Thursday.
“Today I have decided to put into force the so-called asylum law, which has recently been actively discussed in the Polish public and political space. I signed this law and I believe that it is necessary to strengthen the security of our borders, to strengthen the security of Poles,” Duda said.
He noted that the law enables the government to introduce instruments restricting migration to Poland, including applications for asylum in Poland.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz asked the Polish leader to sign the law as soon as possible.
The amendment to the law on granting foreigners protection on the territory of the Republic of Poland suggests the possibility of introducing a temporary territorial restriction on the right to asylum.
The Polish government earlier announced plans to step up patrolling on the Polish-Belarusian border due to growing hybrid threats. More than 2,200 attempts to cross the border illegally have been recorded since the beginning of the year, almost 1,400 in March alone.
Warsaw has tightened its migration policy towards Ukrainians as well. Officials are working on the deprivation of asylum for those who come to Poland solely for social benefits provided for refugees. In addition, the issue of returning men of conscription age to Ukraine remains open.
