Poland began work on the 5.5-meter (18 foot) high steel wall topped with barbed wire at a cost of around 1.6 billion zł (US$407m) [...] in the late summer of 2021. The barrier was completed on 30 June 2022.[3] An electronic barrier [...] was added to the fence between November 2022 and early summer 2023 at a cost of EUR 71.8 million.[4]
[...] official border crossings with Belarus remained open, and the asylum process continued to function [...]
Since the fence was built, illegal crossings have reduced to a trickle; however, between August 2021 and February 2023, 37 bodies were found on both sides of the border; people have died mainly from hypothermia or drowning.[11]
The Greenberg article also suggests a reasonable tradeoff is being made in policy
Despite these fears, Duszczyk is convinced his approach is working. In a two-month period after the asylum suspension, illegal crossings from Belarus fell by 48% compared to the same period in 2024. At the same time, in all of 2024, there was one death—out of 30,000 attempted crossings—in Polish territory. There have been none so far in 2025. Duszczyk feels his humanitarian floor is holding.
Thousands is not a trickle. It’s harder to get over, but it’s just a wall—a ladder is not hard to make and they can keep trying. There are very few asylum applications, because the Belarusian immigrants don’t want to stay in Poland, especially as they know they’re not welcome. They want to go to Germany. Those who do apply, tend to be Ukrainians or Belarusians (at least this article claims that, and I trust that org to get the numbers right)
According to Wikipedia it seems to have worked well and not been expensive.
The Greenberg article also suggests a reasonable tradeoff is being made in policy
Thousands is not a trickle. It’s harder to get over, but it’s just a wall—a ladder is not hard to make and they can keep trying. There are very few asylum applications, because the Belarusian immigrants don’t want to stay in Poland, especially as they know they’re not welcome. They want to go to Germany. Those who do apply, tend to be Ukrainians or Belarusians (at least this article claims that, and I trust that org to get the numbers right)