Slowly, at the level of nation states, more and more countries are growing aware that the migration policy pursued so far has been flawed, and that the EU's migration pact is not the solution, but the problem itself, the Hungarian prime minister's chief advisor on homeland security told M1 public television on Thursday.
According to Gyorgy Bakondi, the resolution on tightening immigration rules adopted by the lower house of the German federal parliament on Wednesday contains the same elements that the Hungarian government has developed and effectively applied to protect its borders since 2015. The only difference between the proposals submitted to Germany's parliament and the practice in Hungary is that Hungary has been heavily fined by the European Court of Justice for this, citing the harm it caused to European values, he said.
He pointed out that illegal immigration has become politically significant, as EU member states perceive the dissatisfaction, tension and fear of the population due to terrorist acts and other criminal acts committed by immigrants. Therefore, governments and parties are trying to respond to this social pressure in their programs, he said.
Recently, a Hungarian border guard barely escaped being seriously injured after migrants threw a Molotov cocktail at him at the Hungary-Serbia border fence. How can those who approach the border section where they seek refuge with such intent and equipment be considered refugees and not illegal immigrants?
asked the chief advisor. Mr Bakondi underlined that such events and the efforts made by nation-states are increasingly calling into question the sustainability of the European migration pact, which was forcibly pushed through. Distribution and seeking common solutions cannot lead to the continuation of illegal immigration seen in the past 10 years, creating an increasingly serious and hopeless situation in EU countries, he said.
Recent statistics show that 181 border crossers were apprehended at Hungary's southern border in the first month of last year, and 1,470 so far this year, he said.
This shows a significant increase, and in the light of the events in Syria and Congo, Hungary must be prepared for the possibility of new migration flows towards Europe, and in this situation it must successfully protect its borders in the interests of internal order and the security of the Hungarian people, he stressed. With regard to the tightening of US immigration policy, he underlined that at the moment the EU bureaucracy is acting as if nothing has happened, but it has. Donald Trump's measures are very similar to those taken by Hungary in 2015, he pointed out.
