Police and border patrol units up in arms against illegal migrants

Hungarian police had to deal with 843 illegal migrants at the the country's southern border in a single day. In and around the towns of Asotthalom and Morahalom, groups of around 140-180 migrants make regular attempts to scale the fence with ladders and to overrun security forces. Human smugglers are also active, trying to provide rides for those who have crossed successfully.

At first, the criminal gangs fought each other with knives, pistols and machine guns outside of populated areas., but recently they have appeared and begun shooting in residential areas. The gravity of the situation is evidenced by the fact that

there was a hand grenade attack on the house of a man who frequently criticized and condemned illegal migration on social media.

– This is noteworthy because it is the first time since 2015 that criminal gangs have deliberately targeted the population," Mr Bakondi said, describing the incident as a sign of a new and dangerous era.

At the same time, he also underlined that Serbia, in line with its European integration efforts, is actively involved in border surveillance duties and cooperates with both the Hungarian and Austrian authorities, often deploying special police units to the border area.

Mr Bakondi called the EU's expectation to provide open camps for illegal migrants, from which they are free to leave, demoralizing for both the police forces and members of the general population.

Next year's European Parliament elections could bring a change in terms of illegal migration, creating such a European Commission and a parliamentary majority that would start treating the issue of illegal migration in light of its true dangers and security risks, the security advisor said.

This illegal migrant is waving a hand gun threateningly at the technical border fence on the Vojvodina side. Source: Police.hu

Speaking on Hungary's current affairs channel M1, Gyorgy Bakondi also underlined that 

Hungary was doing all it can to take a very active part in the fight for European security.

As an example, he cited the presence of Hungarian police forces along the Serbia-North Macedonia border - which is part of Hungary's commitment within the franework of the Hungarian-Austrian-Serbian cooperation -, as well as their participation in other Frontex missions and the protection of the Greece-North Macedonia border.

Tens of thousands are coming 

The number of police measures imposed against illegal migrants entering the bloc unlawfully at Hungary's external Schengen border and within the country exceeded 100,000 in 2023, Colonel Laszlo Balazs, the head of the Border Police Department at the National Police Headquarters said. Within the European Union, Hungary accounted for 28 percent of the measures taken against illegal migrants, which clearly shows that the country plays a prominent role in the region in halting the flow of illegal migration. Police remain committed to preventing illegal migrants arriving via the Western Balkan migration route from entering Hungary and the European Union illegally.

Cover photo: Migrants attacking Hungary's technical border barrier (Source: Police.hu)