POLITYKA MIGRACYJNA POLSKI PO 2021 ROKU - MIĘDZY BEZPIECZEŃSTWEM A SOLIDARNOŚCIĄ
POLAND'S MIGRATION POLICY AFTER 2021: BETWEEN SECURITY AND SOLIDARITY

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to demonstrate how the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the influx of war migrants from that country have compelled changes in Poland's migration policy. The author analyzes the key actions undertaken by the government in response to both developments. The main research problem concerns the extent to which Poland's migration policy constitutes a compromise between the logic of state security and solidarity with migrants and refugees. The study adopts the hypothesis that since 2021 Poland's migration policy has taken on a dual-track character, with state responses to migration varying depending on the political context and the nature of incoming migrant groups, resulting in the use of both restrictive and securitizing instruments as well as solidarity-based measures. The article employs document analysis, which made it possible to reconstruct the main directions of state actions in the field of migration. This approach is complemented by institutional-legal and comparative analysis, comparing Poland's responses to the crisis on the Belarusian border and the influx of war migrants from Ukraine. Additionally, a case study method is used to present both phenomena in detail as key factors shaping migration policy after 2021. In response to hybrid threats on the border with Belarus, Poland implemented numerous legislative, infrastructural, and operational measures, strengthening security as the primary reference point of migration policy. At the same time, the measures directed toward war migrants from Ukraine were primarily solidarity-based and humanitarian in nature. Simplified procedures for the legalization of stay and access to public services demonstrated the state's flexibility in responding to crises. A key challenge for migration policy remains finding a balance between security and solidarity - values that, in the face of emerging challenges and threats, sometimes prove difficult to reconcile.

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