Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as part of a new migration strategy to combat the irregular flow of migrants into the country.

Speaking at a meeting of the centre-right Political Coalition political group in Warsaw, Tusk said smugglers – with the help of Belarus and Russia – were abusing the right to asylum.

As of 2021, Poland has seen one huge increase in the number of people, mainly from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, crossing illegally into the country from Belarus.

Warsaw has accused the Belarus and Russia for “hybrid warfare”, directing the flow of migrants to the European Union in an attempt to destabilize the bloc. Both countries deny this.

When it started immigration crisis in August 2021, this month only, eight times as many people attempted to cross the border illegally than they had attempted to do so in all of 2020. Dozens continue to attempt to cross the border every day.

Tusk said he will present the new immigration policy at a cabinet meeting on October 15.