Tusk allocates blame amid migration debate
Recent data suggest that over 130,000 people visited Poland, yet officials emphasize that the number of migrants from Muslim-majority countries who actually received entry visas is significantly lower. Bartosz Grodecki, deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, stated on Friday that visa entitlements for entry do not equate to actual migration and urged caution against drawing conclusions from raw counts. Source: wPolityce
Tusk levels accusations at ruling party
On Thursday, Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Platform, claimed that the ruling party had welcomed migrants from Muslim countries at a rate far exceeding the last year of the previous administration. Tusk asserted that PiS had admitted migrants to a level about fifty times higher than during the final year of the PO rule. Source: wPolityce
Tusk challenged the leadership of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, saying that the government should be held accountable for what he described as a breakdown in migration policy and warned that responsibility would be laid bare when power changes hands in the fall. Source: wPolityce
He also called for Morawiecki to clarify who is arriving in Poland and how many migrants are entering. Tusk cited official government statistics indicating about 135,000 entries by migrants from Muslim-majority countries in 2022, entitling them to stay temporarily. Source: wPolityce
According to Tusk, the situation from Bangladesh alone demonstrated a disproportionate inflow, claiming that the number of migrants from that country exceeded totals from all other listed countries combined throughout the year. Source: wPolityce
Polish interior official responds to the accusation
A press briefing at the PiS headquarters on Friday featured the deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration, who addressed the data on migrants from Muslim countries. He referenced a graph showing the number of work permits issued to foreigners in Poland, noting a combined total exceeding 130,000, including entries from Uzbekistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, and Indonesia. Source: wPolityce
The deputy minister cautioned that the figure is frequently misinterpreted as representing actual migrants, stressing that a work permit alone does not guarantee entry or residence in Poland. He argued that the true number of individuals who entered Poland through a verified process and obtained a visa allowing temporary admission is much smaller. Source: wPolityce
The figure cited as 133,000 was described as an overestimate, with Grodecki explaining that last year’s figures reflected the issuance of visas to citizens of Muslim countries rather than realized entries. He noted that more than 33,000 people from Uzbekistan did not enter Poland because their work visas issued to Uzbek citizens were far lower than the headline figure. He added that visa issuance in 2022 primarily responded to labor market needs, especially in agriculture. Source: wPolityce
Questions about automatic release and migration policy
Patryk Jaki, a PiS MEP, pointed out that Tusk was speaking about more than 130,000 migrants being admitted from Muslim countries, while stressing a key distinction between an application and its approval. Jaki accused Tusk of repeating falsehoods and manipulating the narrative around refugee relocation. He argued that EU regulations do not include an automatic release mechanism and that there is only one pathway to obtain exemptions in certain cases. Source: wPolityce
Jaki also charged Tusk with assuming responsibility for the European Union’s displacement mechanisms during his presidency of the European Council, noting that many refugees were screened incorrectly and later faced crimes. A separate article criticizing Tusk’s positions on migration and counterfeit theses is referenced by Jaki. Source: wPolityce
The bloc’s discussions in early June focused on negotiating the migration and asylum package with the European Parliament, with Poland and Hungary opposing some elements. The stance emphasized solidarity rather than mandatory relocation, proposing an annual minimum relocation number from member states with higher arrival rates to those with lower exposure. Source: wPolityce
Critics warned that dropping relocation commitments could incur a financial penalty, potentially around 20,000 euros per person. The Polish Sejm recently opposed the EU relocation mechanism for illegal migrants and pledged to oppose it at the upcoming EU summit in June. Source: wPolityce
Poland’s position on migrant relocation is also tied to a forthcoming nationwide referendum announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński. The matter will be a focal point in national debates as authorities prepare for the EU discussions. Source: wPolityce
kk/PAP. Source: wPolityce