Immigration, The Frontier, and the EU's Reluctant Gatekeepers: A Comparative Assessment of Greece and Poland

Immigration is arguably the greatest and most challenging domestic issues throughout Europe. Since its creation, the European Union has attempted to create cohesive and consistent policy standards that allow states to effectively control immigration. However, today the European Union, and all of its member states, is inundated with undocumented or illegal immigrants. As a consequence, states are being economically, structurally, and socially challenged in many ways. At the frontier of the European Union's battle against immigration are its Border States and most importantly Greece and Poland. Geographically vulnerable, economically disadvantaged and structurally incapable, both Greece and Poland have reluctantly accepted their roles as gatekeepers but are failing to manage immigration for vastly different reasons. Comparatively assessing the critical issues, state response, and the European Union's response to Greece and Poland's immigration shortfalls demonstrates the need for a more comprehensive immigration policy and the resources required to create an unwavering frontier.