Hungary's President: Our Borders Are Defended in Full Preparedness

President Tamas Sulyok conducted an inspection of border protection operations at the county's southern frontier. Magyar Nemzet was also there. After assessing the situation, the head of state emphasized the importance of exercising control over who enters Hungary. He noted that this is ensured not only by trained border guards, police officers and border police, but also by advanced technical equipment.

Fotó: torokjanosphoto.hu

Constant Readiness

During the day, President Sulyok visited several key sites, including: the border crossing points at Nagylak and Roszke, the transit zone and border fence along the southern border, remote surveillance center in Morahalom, the Emergency Police station in Szeged, and the Police Education and Training Center (ROKK) in Csongrad-Csanad County. At each location, he received detailed briefings from police force leaders on the operations, structure, and responsibilities of their units.

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok visits the southern border to observe border protection preparedness (Photo: Delmagyarorszag/Janos Torok )

At Nagylak, one of Hungary's busiest border crossings, he learned that with Romania’s accession to the Schengen zone, border control work there would decrease. As a result, many personnel will be transferred, many to Roszke, Hungary’s largest operational border checkpoint. The fight against illegal migration is supported by police officers, civilian guards, and field wardens, as well as Austrian and Turkish police units, who assist in detaining illegal border crossers.

A rendőrök különböző technikai eszközöket, mint például hőkamerát vagy drónos egységeket is be tudnak vetni, ha a migránsok megkísérelnek illegálisan átlépni a szerb–magyar határon. 

Hungarian border patrols utilize advanced technology, including thermal cameras and drone units. These tools help detect and prevent illegal crossings at the Serbian-Hungarian border.

Border protection has to be prepared for the various methods migrants try to breach the border like using ladders to climb over the fence, cutting through the fence, digging tunnels, crossing the Tisza River by boat.

During his visit, President Sulyok was shown the full range of tools deployable against illegal migration. While the main challenge after the outbreak of the 2015 migrant crisis was the sheer number of illegal migrants, the greatest difficulty in recent times has been their increasing violence. Migrants are reportedly becoming more aggressive, sometimes attacking the border barrier armed with weapons or assaulting border protection units with stones and sticks. 

At the remote surveillance center in Morahalom, the head of state was informed that police officers work in 12-hour shifts to monitor the border barrier via cameras 24/7, and seeing all significant movements firsthand.

The president was shown footage showing some of the brutal assaults on the border fence and security forces. 

The shocking video included a migrant armed with a machine gun, another using bolt cutters to breach the fence and several scenes of police officers being pelted with wooden sticks. The president called the footage disturbing, highlighting the dangers faced by border officers and the importance of maintaining strong border security.
 

Faster Border Crossings

Beyond tackling illegal migration, border units also facilitate legal crossings - handling significant passenger and freight traffic - at Roszke. To reduce waiting times, Hungarian authorities are planning to implement a "one-stop inspection system." This means that travelers would only need to present their documents once with Hungarian and Serbian border guards conducting joint inspections.  Negotiations are ongoing, and Serbia supports the initiative. 

This would particularly ease border congestion during peak travel seasons, such as Christmas and Easter.

A new bus terminal has also been introduced to streamline crossings for bus passengers.

President Tamas Sulyok visits the remote surveillance center in Morahalom (Photo: Delmagyarorszag/Janos Torok)

Effective Cooperation Against Crime

Hungary's Emergency Police units in Szeged are not only active in migration control but also in the fight against organized crime. The National Bureau of Investigation conducts criminal intelligence work, which has lead to illicit drug seizures worth 3 billion HUF (about 7.5 million EUR), and the confiscation of criminal assets worth 1 billion HUF (about 2.5 million EUR). Additionally, Hungarian authorities have played a key role in combating human smuggling. 14 joint border operations with Serbian police have been conducted since 2022. And efforts to strengthen cooperation with Romanian investigators continue following the Schengen expansion.

Ongoing border guard training

The Police Education and Training Center in Szeged (ROKK) has been training border guards since August 2022. Currently there are 24 trainees enrolled in the four-week course. Due to high demand, trainings have been conducted every month without pause. Recruits learn law enforcement procedures and how to handle large crowds. After completing training, new recruits serve alongside experienced colleagues and later receive ongoing refresher courses. President Sulyok was shown the operation of the border protection system and met with two border guards at the southern fence. One was a recent graduate, while the other had previously served at a nearby border crossing point.

Cover photo: Hungary's President Tamas Sulyok inspecting protection operations at the southern border (Photo: Delmagyarorszag/Janos Torok)