3 ms·

Note the enemy here is a dozen of families forced to sleep rough in a forest, being shoved from one side of the border to the other. This isn't a military crisi

by pornel 5y ago

Note the enemy here is a dozen of families forced to sleep rough in a forest, being shoved from one side of the border to the other. This isn't a military crisis, but a humanitarian one that exists due to both countries having an anti-refugee moral panic and staunchly refusing to let in any asylum seekers. People in Poland are divided on whether Poland should help these people (there are both protests against the inhumane treatment, as well as calls to defend the country from "invaders"). The ruling party doubled down on a "strong borders" rhetoric, and ordered the military to block any attempts to aid the refugees.

dmos62 5y ago
If you talk about this at any length and don't mention proxy warfare, your view of the situation might be superficial.
rp1 5y ago
Is there evidence that these people are truly seeking asylum and not opportunists? From the portrayal in the media, it seems as if the Belarusian government was advertising taking flights to Minsk as a way of immigrating to Europe. Separate from that, these people are in a tight spot now. Apparently the Belarusian government is beating them if they try to retreat from the Polish border.
- pornel 5y ago
  What's wrong with "opportunists"? Even if they came for an American^W Polish Dream, even if they came to exploit loopholes in the system, just letting them in would cost the country less than deploying the military. The number of people here is tiny compared to the country's population, and the number of immigrants it lets in every year through other channels.
  - rp1 5y ago
    Your argument is essentially asks why have laws at all. The Polish government has made it clear they don’t want immigrants in this fashion by passing immigration laws. Sometimes enforcing the law costs money.
  - redis_mlc 5y ago
    > just letting them in would cost the country less than deploying the military. 1) providing detention or welfare forever is not cheap. It's estimated 1/3 of Africa wants to migrate to the EU. 2) EU countries have found it very difficult and very time-consuming to deport them, in the range of less than 1% per year because of court appeals. Do the math: it's the same as never. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/335927/Immigrants-sent-home-on-almost-empty-jets https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/335927/Immigrants-sent-hom...

by pornel 5y ago

dmos62 5y ago

If you talk about this at any length and don't mention proxy warfare, your view of the situation might be superficial.

rp1 5y ago

Is there evidence that these people are truly seeking asylum and not opportunists? From the portrayal in the media, it seems as if the Belarusian government was advertising taking flights to Minsk as a way of immigrating to Europe. Separate from that, these people are in a tight spot now. Apparently the Belarusian government is beating them if they try to retreat from the Polish border.

pornel 5y ago
What's wrong with "opportunists"? Even if they came for an American^W Polish Dream, even if they came to exploit loopholes in the system, just letting them in would cost the country less than deploying the military. The number of people here is tiny compared to the country's population, and the number of immigrants it lets in every year through other channels.
- rp1 5y ago
  Your argument is essentially asks why have laws at all. The Polish government has made it clear they don’t want immigrants in this fashion by passing immigration laws. Sometimes enforcing the law costs money.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  > just letting them in would cost the country less than deploying the military. 1) providing detention or welfare forever is not cheap. It's estimated 1/3 of Africa wants to migrate to the EU. 2) EU countries have found it very difficult and very time-consuming to deport them, in the range of less than 1% per year because of court appeals. Do the math: it's the same as never. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/335927/Immigrants-sent-home-on-almost-empty-jets https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/335927/Immigrants-sent-hom...