Poland declared on Thursday a state of emergency in two provinces bordering Belarus to curb the irregular migratory flow that it attributes to the direct action of Aleksandr Lukashenko's government.
Lithuania and Latvia have also taken steps to strengthen their borders for the same reason.
Border countries and the EU accuse the Minsk regime of orchestrating a wave of migration as a "hybrid weapon" in response to the sanctions imposed by the bloc.
Polish President Andrzej Duda signed on Thursday the declaration of a state of emergency requested by the government for the provinces of Podlakia and Lublin.
The measure, the first of this magnitude approved by the country since communist times, restricts the right of assembly and freedom of movement in 183 border municipalities for 30 days.
"The situation at the border is difficult and dangerous and Poland, as responsible for its own borders and also for the external borders of the European Union, has made this decision to guarantee its security and that of the EU," said Blazej Spychalski, spokesman. from Duda's cabinet.
The president "had to weigh two things: state security on the one hand and civil liberties on the other," he responded to the criticism.
The decree must be raised to Parliament, which can revoke it.
Tense environment
Groups helping migrants and residents of the area told Reuters that there has already been an increase in the police presence in the area in recent days.
"The atmosphere is generally violent, there are uniformed and armed men everywhere ... It reminds me of war," Marta Anna Kurzyniec, a resident of the border town of Krynki, told the news agency.
Amnesty International warned of hot returns at the border and reminded Poland that "under international and EU refugee law, it is obliged to ensure individual assessment of all asylum applications."
Join EL PAÍS now to follow all the news and read without limits
Subscribe here
According to the most recent report by the Polish authorities, in August there were about 3,500 attempts to enter the country, almost 1,000 arrests and some 2,500 expulsions.
Tension between the EU and Lukashenko has been mounting since the rigged elections in 2020. Poland, the Baltic countries and the EU accuse him of using migrants as a “hybrid weapon”.
Follow all the international information on
and
, or in
our weekly newsletter
.