Migration is a lucrative business along Hungary-Serbia border

Migration is also facilitated by those who let out their properties to migrants and provide transportation, Serbia's interior minister says.

Migration pressure at the Hungary-Serbia border is high. In the past three months alone, police have taken action against 7341 migrants in the area, launching criminal proceedings against 229 migrants and initiating misdemeanor proceedings against 746, said Serb Interior Minister  Bratislav Gasic during a visit to Makova Sedmica, a forested suburb of Subotica (Szabadka). 

During these three months, 6287 illegal immigrants were taken to reception centres, 44 facilities were checked and 39 firearms were seized.

The minister had an  exchange with outraged locals at a public forum public forum, which was also attended by the district chief, the mayor and police and other officials. The minister highlighted that during this time, the police temporarily seized 41 passenger vehicles from persons involved in the illegal transport of migrants until the end of the court proceedings against them.

Public forum in Subotica's  Makova Sedmica community (Source: Serbia's interior ministry)

Local residents attending the forum most of all complained about the constant gunfire, people smugglers and the permanent fear they live in. The minister was asked why taxi drivers were allowed to transport illegal immigrants without hindrance to the forest along the Hungary-Serbia border, generating significant income from the activity.

Bratislav Gasic responded by asking people to cooperate with the police and find solutions to problems jointly, said a statement published on the website of Serbia's interior ministry.

However, also part of the problem are those Serb citizens who let out their farmsteads, transport migrants and sell weapons, helping migrants achieve their goal of crossing the border illegally, endangering the security of our citizens,

Serbia's interior minister pointed out.

The minister also highlighted that in the past three months, more than 1400 police officers have been on duty  in this area alone, that is, around Subotica, and 75 members of Frontex are also present on the Hungary-Serbia border.

The protection of Serb citizens comes first, the police are nonstop taking action and are continuously on the ground. However, migrants persistently returning to the border zone from to reception centres poses a problem, 

said the statement issued after the forum.

And migrants can do so, as in Serbia, they are accommodated in centres that follow an open-door policy. This means that once they are registered, they will be given an ID and are free to  go wherever they want within the country. And they do so, according to local residents, who often see taxis in convoy driving through Subotica in the direction of the Hungarian border.  In addition, shootouts between the gangs of human smugglers have become frequent occurrences.

Data show that more than one and a half million migrants have passed through the Balkan country since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2015,  said Commissioner at Serbia's  Commissariat for Refugees and Migration Natasa Stanisavljevic

If the goal of these people had been to stay in Serbia, we would now have 200,000 or 300,000 immigrants living with us. But that is not their goal, they want to get into the European Union. These people do not want to stay in Serbia, they want to move on,

the commissioner said.

According to the local news portal Subotica.com, the participants of the citizens' forum also drew attention to the corruption that accompanies the migration situation. In response, police chiefs admitted this was possible, but urged people to report cases immediately and provide evidence to support their allegations so that authorities could take the necessary action. 

In addition to taking taxis, illegal migrants now use another form  of transport as well,  according to Subotica residents. Some people are engaged in transporting large number of migrants in lorries without registration plates.  When the vehicles reach the edge of the forest, the tarpaulin is lifted, and migrants by the dozen jump off the lorry and disappear in the woods. 

Cover photo: Migrants strolling in central Subotica (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)