Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated at a political convention Saturday that the country will temporarily suspend the right to apply for asylum.

The measure comes as a part of a new governmental strategy called “Regain Control, Ensure Security,” which will aim at drastically decreasing irregular migration and all the negative consequences that it brings to the country, according to Tusk. In the first half of 2024, asylum claims in Poland rose to about 74 percent.

In his statement, Tusk explained that the increased number of migrants has been caused by a “hybrid war” tactic, referring to Belarusian border guard efforts to help migrants cross the Polish border. Further, Tusk also blamed smugglers and traffickers for the surge. Tusk then stated how important integration processes for people coming into Poland are. According to the Prime Minister, people coming to legally work, study or live in Poland, must “respect Polish standards and customs … they must want to integrate”.

Poland ratified the European Convention on Human Rights in 1991, and as a Member of the Council of Europe, it is obligated to respect the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

Articles 2 and 3 of the convention guarantee the right to life and protection from torture. A 2008 judgment by the Grand Chamber of the court decided that the principle of non-refoulment—not deporting people back to a country where they risk ill-treatment or death—was closely linked to Articles 2 and 3.