Polish lawmakers approve anti-migrant wall on Belarusian border – CBS17.com
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FILE – In this file photo from September 1, 2021, migrants stranded along the Poland-Belarus border carry plastic water bottles as they are surrounded by Polish forces in Usnarz Gorny, Poland. Polish officials said Monday, October 25, 2021 that two soldiers were slightly injured when a group of around 60 migrants attempted to illegally force the border from Belarus. (AP Photo / Czarek Sokolowski, file)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Polish lawmakers on Friday approved the rapid construction of a $ 402 million barrier at the European Union member’s border with Belarus, seeking to stop the growing flow of migrants.
Now, the plan proposed by the right-wing government only needs the approval of President Andrzej Duda, a government ally. Construction of the wall with motion detectors must begin upon approval.
Poland and other EU countries accuse the Belarusian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging and helping migrants from the Middle East and Africa to enter the EU through their borders with Belarus. He says the Minsk government is seeking to destabilize the entire bloc in retaliation for Western sanctions.
Some migrants, mostly from Iraq and Syria, have died of exhaustion near the Polish border with Belarus, which stretches 400 kilometers (250 miles) through forest, bogs and along the Bug River. .
Poland built a razor wire fence at the border and sent thousands of border guards, troops and police, but the measures failed to stop the influx of migrants. Border guards have also pushed migrants back across the border, including some families with children, and a new Polish law makes this legal.
Poland is also in talks with the European Union border agency Frontex regarding plans to repatriate migrants to their countries of origin.
Migrants entering any EU country can apply for international protection or asylum which will cover the entire EU, but in most cases applications are refused.
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