Resilience and self-organisation of the Polish migration governance system : experiences from the first months of the "Ukrainian refugee crisis" of 2022

Under the governance of Poland’s Law and Justice party, marked by an illiberal approach, migration management policies took on pronounced securitising features, causing friction with non-governmental organisations and relocating migration policy into the realm of national security. This shift involved a siege mentality, challenging not only EU migration and border policies but also the international human rights framework and the very concept of asylum. The Ukrainian conflict and the subsequent surge of refugees across the Polish border revealed the limitations of this restrictive strategy, prompting concerns about the potential collapse of Poland’s migration governance system. In response, there was a substantial mobilisation of civic resources, resulting in spontaneous and inventive self-organisation within the system. While this enhanced resilience during the initial phase of the “Ukrainian refugee crisis,” it simultaneously triggered both horizontal and vertical tensions within the governance structure. This chapter focuses on scrutinising the resilience and self-organisation within Poland’s migration governance, elucidating how these elements bolstered the system’s capacity to navigate challenges during the crisis’s early stages. This analysis draws on qualitative data, encompassing content analysis of official reports from governmental and non-governmental bodies overseeing the Ukrainian refugee influx. Additionally, it incorporates publicly available witness accounts and statements from volunteers involved in the crisis response.