Poland's parliament votes in favor of rejecting refugees at the border

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A Polish border guard surrounded an Iraqi family on the border with Belarus

Photo: KACPER PEMPEL / REUTERS

The Polish parliament has voted to legalize the controversial rejection of migrants at the border.

With the passing of the relevant amendment to the law, Parliament also gave the green light for the construction of a border facility.

The change in the law stipulates that illegally entered migrants arrested at the border must leave Poland.

They can also be temporarily banned from entering the country for a period of »six months to three years«.

The innovation also enables the Polish authorities to leave an asylum application submitted after an illegal border crossing "unchecked" if the asylum seeker has not entered an area where his life and freedom are threatened.

"Barrier" planned with motion detectors

The border to Belarus is to be reinforced with permanent fortifications.

The background to this is the growing number of people seeking protection from crisis areas who want to enter the EU illegally via Belarus.

Since August, thousands of migrants - mostly from the Middle East - have tried to cross the Polish border from Belarus.

The EU is assuming retaliation by the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko for sanction decisions taken in Brussels.

It is believed that the Belarusian authorities are bringing migrants into the country in a targeted manner and smuggling them to the borders with the eastern EU states.

In addition to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also complain about the increased arrival of migrants at their borders with Belarus.

Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński has now promised to build a "solid, high barrier" with a surveillance system and motion detectors.

Polish government officials talk about a "barrier" or "lock" - they avoid the term "wall" used by the opposition.

Poland had already started building a temporary fence along the border at the end of August.

This is a barbed wire barricade about 2.50 meters high, which is being erected by soldiers of the Polish army.

This is now to be replaced by a permanent barrier.

A budget of the equivalent of 366 million euros is planned for the project.

After the Sejm, the first chamber of parliament, has approved the bill, it now goes to the second chamber, the Senate.

"Part of an unscrupulous international smuggling ring"

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) meanwhile made airlines jointly responsible for the fate of the refugees.

"Every day hundreds of desperate people arrive at the airport in Minsk," Maas told the "Bild" newspaper.

Lukashenko lured her with false promises in order to send her on a dangerous and illegal journey to the EU.

"The airlines that transport these people are helping those in power in Minsk." The companies would have to ask themselves whether they "want to be part of an unscrupulous international smuggling ring under Lukashenko's direction."

mrc / dpa / AFP