Illegal migration: Some 145,000 entrants apprehended so far this year in Hungary

Hungarian authorities have apprehended some 145,000 illegal entrants at the country’s border since the beginning of the year, the prime minister’s chief security advisor told public television channel M1 on Wednesday.

György Bakondi said the number has gone up from 57,000 during the same period in 2021. The number of people smugglers detained had doubled, to over 1,000, he added.

“While illegal entrants used to come mainly from Syria and Afghanistan in the past, today many of them also arrive from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Tunisia,” Bakondi said.

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He said that in response, the government has decided to reinforce the fence along the borders and has started to recruit and train a special unit of border rangers to work with local police to secure Hungary’s borders.

As regards Ukraine, Bakondi told public broadcaster Kossuth radio’s morning programme that 10,000-13,000 migrants cross to Hungary from the neighbouring country daily. He noted that since the outbreak of the war, Hungary has received a total of 885,000 people crossing from Ukraine.