As everyone is getting in the spirit for the upcoming holiday season, many others will go without warmth, food and family. Within the past month, Belarusian residents have been rushing to surrounding countries’ borders and are caught in ageological standoff, many trying to flee poverty or violence. Migrant camps are being made at the Belarus borders, with people attempting to flood into surrounding countries such as Poland. Countries bordering Belarus have a strong stance against immigration and are refusing to let the Belarusian people in. Thousands of people are currently gathered in large crowds at the Poland- Belarus border, setting up camps and fires while trying to stay warm. The surrounding European countries are frustrated with this border crisis. Belarus is blamed for starting the migrations and encouraging it by providing transportation. Leaders of European nations say that President Alexander Lukashenko is striking back on sanctions made over human rights earlier this year by pushing his people to the borders, causing humanitarian issues. “I think that the things that unfold before our eyes, these dramatic events, may only be a prelude to something much worse,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. The United Nations is begging leaders to not use their citizens as political pawns. Belarus’s president has had a history of threatening violence, particularly threatening a refugee crisis, according to the New York Times. Belarus and its leaders are rejecting all forms of responsibility in this crisis and say that it is not their doing. “We have not seen any violations of the law by the migrants. As a hospitable country, we are always ready to welcome everyone,” the Interior Minister of Belarus, Ivan Kubrakov, said. Events at the border near Belarus and Poland continue to intensify as time passes. Make an effort to stay updated on the status of this migrant crisis.