Perspektiv på migrationspolitik: aktivisters syn på den polska statens hantering av migrationskrisen vid gränsen mot Belarus under 2021–2024

Abstract

Poland has since 2021 dealt with the migration crisis at its border with Belarus and when the new government took power in 2023, many had high hopes for its management of the crisis. But the government has opposed the EU's migration policy and continues the strict migration policies of the last government, which earlier studies have theorized, if it’s sign of a securitization of EU’s own migration policies. This essay examines the experiences of activists who work at the border, by performing interviews and a thematic analysis regarding the Polish state’s handling of the migration crisis with the change of government in 2023 and how they see that it has affected Poland and EU’s relationship. The results show that the activists didn’t find any significant changes in the Polish management of the migration crisis after the government change. They had however, noticed a shift in the government's rhetoric regarding who is perceived as the primary threat which, by securitizing the border, is now Belarus. This helped the government to legitimize strict migration policies, without being met with the same criticism as the old government. The respondents also found that the relationship between Poland and EU won’t be much affected by Poland’s migration policies.