After a decline in the spring, the pressure of migration has increased significantly at the Hungarian-Serbian border, the Deputy Police Commissioner said at a press conference held on Thursday in Röszke.

Zsolt Halmosi said the Hungarian-Serbian border section is the European Union’s only external border affected by major migration pressure. In the past few months, one half of illegal migrants apprehended on the EU’s external borders have attempted to gain access to the EU via the Western Balkans route, at the Hungarian-Serbian border section.

So far this year, some 18,000 persons have attempted to enter the country illegally at Hungary’s external borders. This means 82 attempts daily on average; police officers and soldiers have been compelled to take action against 30 illegal border-crossers every day on average from among them, the Major General of the National Police Headquarters told the press.

He said in January and February, compared with earlier periods, the pressure of migration increased, and later, from March to mid-May, due to the measures implemented with regard to the epidemic – primarily, the closure of reception centres in the countries of the Western Balkans – the number of attempts decreased.

As a result, migrants amassed in the region, including some 9,000 in Serbia, and another 60,000 are awaiting entry into the territory of the European Union between the Turkish and Hungarian borders.

People smugglers, he added, are also seeking to take advantage of this situation, thereby making up for revenues lost in the spring. They are organising the transport of illegal migrants from camps in Serbia to the territory of the EU extremely intensively. This year, the Hungarian authorities have apprehended 207 people smugglers; since 2015, this has been the highest number during the corresponding period of the year, he stated.

The Deputy Police Commissioner said so far this year patrols have found 16 tunnels and unfinished tunnels.

Therefore, a decision was adopted to reinforce the external line of the temporary security border fence; an anti-tunnelling net is being installed which will prevent migrants from digging tunnels under the fence swiftly with simple means. Additionally, they are using drones and other technical devices with which they can detect the arrival of larger groups at the border.

Outlining details of the incident that occurred in the region of Röszke in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Mr Halmosi said on a ten-kilometre-long border section a large group attempted to enter Hungarian territory illegally almost simultaneously. In contrast to incidents in the past, the migrants behaved violently, openly resisting police action. The patrolling officers foiled the border breach, while a man that climbed onto the fence was apprehended; he was prosecuted.

Mr Halmosi said, in consequence of the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Hungary closed down its transit zones. Three hundred and thirty persons were transferred to an open reception centre; however, most of them did not wait for the conclusion of their asylum proceedings, and there are now only sixteen of them left.

At the press conference, Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller stressed that in Hungary the public health and epidemic situation is excellent, and therefore uncontrolled migration is posing an extremely great threat.

The expert recalled that persons who sought asylum in the transit zones underwent health screening.

If a person enters Hungary from an unknown place uncontrolled, that conveys health risks, she added.

Illegal migrants typically arrive from territories whose public health situation is substantially worse than Hungary’s, and can introduce diseases which have never occurred in Hungary or have not been present for a long time, the Chief Medical Officer said, mentioning typhoid, certain strains of hepatitis and tropical diseases.

The countries currently issuing migrants fall into the red category from the respect of the coronavirus epidemic. The restrictive measures implemented with a view to protecting the population ensure that even Hungarian nationals returning from these countries can only enter Hungary in a controlled manner. Illegal migrants refuse to cooperate with the authorities, including the health authority, their state of health is unknown, and there is no way of knowing whether they carry the coronavirus or display symptoms. Their entry into the territory of Hungary could lead to the development of epicentres, Ms. Müller underlined.

In answer to a question, the Chief Medical Officer said in Pápa up to midnight on Wednesday, 22 coronavirus infections had been confirmed. The development of the epicentre was caused by the fact that a person displaying symptoms interacted with communities as was the case earlier in Mezőkövesd and Sopronkövesd. Contact tracing and the screening of the persons quarantined are under way also at present.

(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)