On 27 March 2025, Poland introduced a 60-day suspension of the right to submit applications for international protection at the country’s borders with Belarus, triggering the powers granted to the Polish authorities in situation of alleged “instrumentalization” of migration movements, under a new law adopted by the Polish Parliament on 21 February 2025. The powers introduced by the new law effectively codify the carrying out of unlawful forced returns (“pushbacks”) at the border, by empowering border guards to disregard asylum applications without consideration for people’s individual circumstances. They are inconsistent and incompatible with international law and the Polish constitution, and pose a threat to the lives and human rights of people wishing to apply for asylum at the border.
