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POLOWCE, Poland (AP) \u2014 Poland’s six-month presidency of the European Union<\/a> is firmly focused on security<\/a>. As Europe\u2019s biggest land war in decades rages, fewer places highlight the challenges and contradictions of defending the bloc and its values more starkly than the border with Belarus.<\/p>\n Some 13,000 border guards and soldiers protect around 400 kilometers (250 miles) of border. It\u2019s become a buffer zone since Belarus\u2019 ally, Russia, invaded neighboring Ukraine<\/a> three years ago. Similar fortifications farther north line Poland’s frontier with the Russian region of Kaliningrad.<\/p>\n Poland is Ukraine\u2019s top logistical backer. Most of the Western-supplied arms, ammunition and equipment helping to keep Ukraine\u2019s armed forces afloat transit through. Russia, meanwhile, uses Belarus as a staging ground for its invasion.<\/p>\n See for yourself \u2014 The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At the border near the town of Po\u0142owce, a 5.5-meter (18-foot) steel barrier strung with razor wire and topped by security cameras separates once-friendly communities that war has turned into wary rivals. Drones, helicopters and armored vehicles keep watch.<\/p>\n The border crossing<\/a> is closed. Around 40 border guards and troops could be seen on Jan. 16, when the Polish EU presidency invited 60 reporters from international media to witness the security effort.<\/p>\n The road was strewn with layers of concrete obstacles and concertina wire likely to dissuade an advancing army. Border guards peered into Belarus.<\/p>\n It\u2019s needed, the government in Warsaw says, because Russia and Belarus are waging a particular kind of hybrid warfare: helping groups of migrants \u2014 mostly from Africa or the Middle East \u2014 to break through the border to provoke and destabilize Poland and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have tightened our visa policy, and above all we have decided to suspend the right to asylum wherever we are dealing with mass border crossings organized by Belarus and Russia,\u201d Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n When migrants are equated with danger<\/p>\n Almost 30,000 attempted border crossings were spotted last year. Most are young men, often from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. Polish authorities say they arrive in Belarus on tourist or student visas and are helped across for a fee ranging from $8,000 to $12,000.<\/p>\n Poland says they\u2019re assisted by the Belarus security services and other \u201corganizers.\u201d They’re mostly Ukrainians, perhaps fallen on hard times since fleeing the war. They can earn $500 for each person they help, border officials say.<\/p>\n Border guards claim to be routinely attacked. One guard was killed last year and several injured.<\/p>\n They say that migrants shoot slingshots, throw small explosives or rocks, or use pepper spray on guards. More than 400 incidents were recorded last year in this section of the border, with 307 people hospitalized.<\/p>\n The deputy commander of the Podlaski border guard division, Col. Andrzej Stasiulewicz, said the migrants are hard to discourage. \u201cWarning shots don\u2019t work, so force is needed,\u201d he said. Reporters were shown video and photos purported to show migrants assailing the border.<\/p>\n Stasiulewicz said their actions are \u201cvery unpredictable, and very precise and coordinated.\u201d<\/p>\n Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders paints a different picture. The charity says it’s treated more than 400 people since November 2022, \u201cmany of them stranded for weeks in uninhabitable forests and exposed to violent practices at the border.\u201d<\/p>\n People suffered from exhaustion, hypothermia, dehydration and mental health issues. Last year, it noted \u201ca sharp increase in people carrying the scars of physical assaults, including bruises and dog bites.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost impossible to independently verify such reports. The area is off limits. NGOs and media must apply for a permit to enter. EU and international agencies that work with migrants are not invited either, although migrants are provided with their contact details should they want to complain.<\/p>\n \u201cTurnbacks\u201d not \u201cpushbacks,\u201d Poland insists<\/p>\n Stasiulewicz said those who force their way in \u201care sent back to Belarus, which is in line with our legal framework.\u201d<\/p>\n The Norwegian Refugee Council, a migrant aid charity, has another take. It said that nearly 9,000 \u201cviolent pushbacks<\/a> \u201d have been reported by NGOs in what it describes as \u201cEurope\u2019s death zone\u201d since 2021.<\/p>\n Pushbacks \u2013 depriving someone who may be in fear for their safety of their right to apply for asylum \u2013 are illegal under international law.<\/p>\n Polish Undersecretary of State Maciej Duszczyk rejects the pushback allegations. He prefers “turnbacks.\u201d The rationale is that migrants are obliged to apply for asylum in good faith at open border points, not force their way in.<\/p>\n The nearest place they can do that is in Terespol, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Po\u0142owce.<\/p>\n Halting asylum in the name of security<\/p>\n As far as the Polish authorities are concerned, their methods are working. The number of people arriving in Po\u0142owce has dropped significantly. Around 670 people applied for asylum there last year, and none to mid-January. The Office for Foreigners was empty when reporters visited.<\/p>\n To keep numbers down, the government intends to suspend asylum applications<\/a> in times of crisis.<\/p>\n A draft law winding its way through parliament would see the border shut for 60 days if Warsaw suspects that migrants are being \u201cweaponized\u201d \u2014 should they approach the border in large groups, try to intimidate Polish officers or damage border infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone uses violence against the border guards, we close the border,\u201d Duszczyk said.<\/p>\n Doctors Without Borders says this could have \u201cdramatic consequences.\u201d It\u2019s urged Poland \u201cto drastically change course of action” and do all it can to protect migrants and refugees.<\/p>\n But EU leaders signed off on Poland\u2019s actions at a summit last month. Countries on Europe\u2019s eastern flank received a greenlight<\/a> to suspend the right to protection when they believe that Belarus and Russia are \u201c weaponizing\u201d migrants.<\/a><\/p>\n When security and migration get political<\/p>\n Ultimately, security and migration policies are highly politicized. Tusk has been in power for more than a year but his party\u2019s candidate in a presidential election in May<\/a> faces a strong challenge from a nationalist opponent.<\/p>\n The EU shifted further right in June after elections to the European Parliament, with nationalists and populists shaking Europe\u2019s foundations, particularly in major powers France and Germany. Tusk believes that tough migration policy can win back voters.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we do not want to hand over these matters to radicals, extremists, populists, we must find the right answers so that no one in the world doubts that democratic states are able to effectively defend themselves against illegal migration,\u201d he said on Friday.<\/p>\n He described the \u201ctough protection” of borders as a “sacred duty.\u201d Poland\u2019s borders also make up the 27-nation EU\u2019s external frontier. For Tusk, his country\u2019s security is Europe\u2019s security. It’s a similar argument made by Hungary’s staunchly nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed to this report.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of migration issues at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/migration<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nTrusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox<\/h3>\n