migration

Illegal migration: police launch special checks at train stations, on trains, deploy dogs

police

From 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning, police will launch an increased check as part of the “Active Shield Rail Action Day” coordinated by RAILPOL (European Association of Railway Police), which will last for 24 hours, until 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The Hungarian police said in the statement, that the European Union (EU) is placing particular emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the security of rail transport and freight transport. The action, coordinated by RAILPOL, is aimed primarily at taking effective action against illegal migration and related illegal activities. The police place particular emphasis on the prevention of rail-related offences and offences against passengers.

During the 24-hour operation, uniformed officers, including service dogs, will check domestic and international passenger trains, passengers’ luggage and luggage lockers at stations.

As we wrote before, motorists, as is customary, encounter various European traffic checks annually lasting a week – these are the upcoming 2024 ROADPOL actions, details HERE.

Also, we wrote earlier, controversial decision was made, over 2000 foreign traffickers were released from Hungarian prisons in 2023, details HERE.

Hungarian government official: EU borders under siege, migration growing

migration

Migration into Europe was up 17 percent last year compared with 2022, with the European Union seeing some 380,000 illegal entry attempts, György Bakondi, the prime minister’s chief domestic security advisor, said on Friday.

Migration pressure increased along routes going through Spain, Italy and the Balkans last year, Bakondi told public current affairs channel M1.

He said the situation on Hungary’s border was deteriorating, with certain areas on the Serbian side having been “controlled by Afghan crime gangs” by the third quarter of 2023. Migrants even fired at Hungarian police officers “hundreds of times” last year, he added.

Meanwhile, Bakondi noted, the EU had approved a migration pact and was mandating resettlement quotas. Also, contrary to the practice followed by Hungary so far, asylum applications are no longer assessed outside the EU’s territory, leading to the possible establishment of migrant camps within the bloc, he warned.

He said the EU was attempting to blackmail Hungary by withholding funds from the country until it changed its migration policy and child protection regulations.

Read also:

  • Interior ministry: Western Europeans move to Hungary because of migrants – Read more HERE
  • Schengen in serious trouble: strict control prolonged at Hungarian border again – Details in THIS article

Fidesz: ‘EP attacking Hungary over its rejection of migration, gender madness’

Hungarian MEP Tamás Deutsch fidesz tisza

The European Parliament “is attacking” Hungary because it rejects migration and the “gender madness” and stands by its position calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks as regards the war in Ukraine, Tamás Deutsch, an MEP of ruling Fidesz, said in Strasbourg on Wednesday, after participating in an EP plenary debate on the rule of law in Hungary.

Speaking to Hungarian journalists, Deutsch noted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “making it clear” during the debate that Brussels would continue to withhold part of the EU funding until Hungary changed its position on migration and “the gender ideology madness.”

“This is something that has been denied over many years, but now had to be admitted by the EC president, too,” he said.

As regards the extraordinary EU summit called for February 1, Deutsch indicated Hungary’s readiness to provide further assistance to Ukraine, adding however that Hungary’s position was that any financial support should be extended independently of the EU’s budget. “Hungary does not want to take out a joint loan, but it is ready to make contributions from its national budget,” he said.

He reiterated Hungary’s firm position calling for an immediate ceasefire and starting peace talks, “no matter how loud the voice of the pro-war camp is.”

Deutsch said he and fellow Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál had written a joint letter to EP President Roberta Metsola and European Court of Auditors President Tony Murphy, asking them for a scrutiny of remarks made recently by Finnish MEP Petri Sarvamaa, who Deutsch said had called Fidesz and the Hungarian right “Nazis”.

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Foreign Minister Szijjártó: Hungary counts on Austria’s support

hungary austria

When it comes to combatting illegal migration and supporting the EU accession bids of Western Balkan countries, Hungary counts on Austria’s support, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, told Hungarian public media in Vienna (Bécs) after talks with Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.

The talks were part of a series of consultations aimed at preparing the ground for Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of the year, he said, adding that Austria was among EU countries that took action against illegal migration.

Hungary’s wants European regulations to be in line with international law so that temporary refugee stays are in the first safe country, noting that Hungary allowed people fleeing the war in Ukraine to seek refuge but kept out illegal migrants who had had passed through 3-5 safe countries.

Szijjártó called for a turnaround in Brussels, adding that the EU should not import problems from far away but help to solve them at their root. Africa’s population was growing exponentially, he noted. Instead of tempting Africans to relocate, the EU should make investments, and nurture development and training locally, he said. Hungary, he added, supported the development of African countries to the tune of several 10 million dollars, providing education scholarships for “many thousands” of African students.

Meanwhile, regarding the EU integration of Western Balkan countries, the minister said the bloc needed fresh dynamism, which the region could provide, so the pace of the accession process must be speeded up. This, he added, was one of the goals of Hungary’s EU presidency.

Regarding bilateral matters, Szijjártó said Hungary and Austria was a reliable, predictable and fair partner in terms of energy supply, with than 20 percent of Hungary’s annual gas consumption arriving via Austria. Both countries see energy supply as a pragmatic rather than an ideological issue, he said.

Hungary, he said, supports Austria’s candidacy for membership of the UN Security Council in 2027-28.

The minister said he met the Austrian Freedom Party’s general secretary and the party’s members of the Vienna parliament’s Hungarian-Austrian friendship group. He also met the head of the Austrian Manufacturers Association.

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Hungarian government wants to reduce migration pressure on Europe

Migration refugee camp EU migration pact

Europe’s security starts in the Sahel, foreign ministry state secretary Tristan Azbej said on Thursday.

Azbej noted on Facebook that he had visited the African country in the company of László Eduárd Máthé, ministerial commissioner in charge of foreign policy coordination of Hungarian government activities in the Sub-sahara region.

They visited Niger to hold talks regarding efforts to thwart illegal migration and terrorism, and collect information about the humanitarian situation in the region.

Máthé said on Facebook and on X that “the only path to stability and security is the one that starts with talks.”

An entry on the English language website About Hungary says that “in recent times migration risks in the Sahel region and pressure on Europe from illegal immigration have continued to increase”.

Niger having central role

“Given the central role of Niger in monitoring migration routes, Hungary has initiated a dialogue with the relevant Nigerian authorities in order to gain an understanding of the position and thinking of the current government of Niger,” it said. “This is necessary because Hungary aims to contribute to reducing migration pressure on Europe,” it added.

“In its projected relations with the Nigerien leadership, Hungary is following what has become established practice in the Western alliance system,” it said. “The threat of terrorism has recently emerged as a growing risk in the region, causing a deterioration in the local population’s living conditions,” it added.

“Hungary seeks to understand how it can work with affected partners on this issue, based on the principle of assistance on the ground,” the website said.

Read also:

  • Controversial decision: over 2000 foreign traffickers released from Hungarian prisons in 2023 – Read more HERE
  • Interior ministry: Western Europeans move to Hungary because of migrants – Details HERE

Orbán Cabinet: ‘New EU migration pact could have serious consequences’

migration

The EU’s new migration pact could have serious consequences to the continent, the prime minister’s chief security advisor said on Thursday.

György Bakondi told commercial channel TV2 that the passing of the legislation had been “strange”, calling it “a hasty, non-unanimous and clearly politically motivated vote held deliberately early enough to finalise the issue before this year’s EP election”.

He said that under the pact, migrants aiming for Europe had the option to wait through their application procedure in “migrant centres” in EU territory. “But the western experience is that only 20 percent of those rejected can in fact be expelled”, he said, adding that the new pact could be an incentive for mass migration from Africa and Asia.

Bakondi noted that a total of 355,000 migrants had come to Europe on the three main migration routes last year, a record number since 2016, adding that “atrocities were an indication of the serious national and public security threats posed by uncontrolled migration”.

He noted that Hungarian parliament last month had adopted a law amendment allowing the firing of warning shots to stop violent people who damage the border fence or threaten border guards.

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Controversial decision: over 2000 foreign traffickers released from Hungarian prisons in 2023

police arrest sex trafficking group

In 2023, over two thousand foreign traffickers were set free from Hungarian prisons.

Since August last year, a monthly average of 127 foreign traffickers has been released from Hungarian prisons. The government justified the releases, citing the substantial cost of caring for these individuals, which amounts to billions of forints annually within the penitentiary system.

The National Command of the Penitentiary System (BvOP) informed hvg.hu that 2021 people smugglers were imprisoned last year. On average, four traffickers are released each day. Prior to this decision, foreigners comprised 13 percent of Hungary’s prison population, totalling 2,600 individuals, with the majority serving sentences for human trafficking.

In April 2023, the Hungarian government adopted a decree to place foreign national traffickers in so-called “reintegration detention”. According to this regulation, a trafficker convicted in Hungary, provided they have not committed other serious crimes, can leave prison by committing to leave the country within 72 hours. Formally termed “reintegration detention,” in practice, this allows the convicted person to go wherever they please. Failure to leave Hungary and subsequent apprehension result in a return to prison.

The Hungarian government defended its decision, citing budgetary constraints. Nevertheless, experts argue that the government’s refugee policy has contributed to the flourishing business of people smuggling. Since May 2020, asylum applications cannot be lodged at the border or in Hungary, creating a lucrative “market” for organised crime circles, as asylum seekers are deterred from pursuing legal avenues.

However, the government’s release of convicted people smugglers undermines the efforts of law enforcement, prosecutors and those aiding in apprehension.

The release of prisoners has drawn disapproval from the European Union, particularly neighbouring Austria. In May last year, the Austrian foreign ministry queried the Hungarian ambassador about the release of traffickers. The Austrian leadership expressed dissatisfaction with Hungary’s actions, given that a considerable number of illegal immigrants entering Austria do so through Hungary, which maintains a stringent anti-refugee policy.

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Interior ministry: Western Europeans move to Hungary because of migrants

Budapest people streetcar villamos tram everyday traffic

Because of the migration pressure, the number of people coming from western Europe to settle in Hungary has gone up between 20 and 40 percent over the past several years, the interior ministry’s parliamentary state secretary said at a farewell ceremony for a police contingent in Budapest on Tuesday.

Since 2015, the number of those coming to Hungary from Belgium has increased by 47 percent, from Italy by 45 percent, from the Netherlands by 43 percent, from Spain by 40 percent, from Switzerland 28 percent, from Austria 25 percent, from Britain by 22 percent and from Germany and France 20 percent, respectively, Bence Rétvári said. Their motivation was to find security and safe conditions in public domains, he said.

Rétvári addressed the ceremony for the next contingent of Hungarian police officers dispatched to serve in Serbia in partnership with their local and Austrian colleagues, noting that “their task is becoming more difficult and more important as they are protecting the EU, and Hungary, against the increasing pressure posed by migration”.

The state secretary noted that he had visited the Hungarian contingent in Serbia last year and had met officers serving on their 8th mission there. “Last year, close to 400 Hungarian officers served on the missions,” Rétvári said.

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120 thousand guest workers in Hungary, Gyurcsány’s DK outraged – UPDATED

Guest workers Hungary

The opposition Democratic Coalition on Tuesday called for an immediate ban of the “unlawful import” of guest workers from outside the European Union.

DK’s Ferenc Varga, who sits in parliament as an independent, told a press conference that the law on guest workers which entered force this year was “a scam”.

In a recent interview, Sándor Czomba, the economy ministry state secretary in charge of employment policy, “admitted that 120,000 guest workers were imported from outside the EU”, the DK politician said, noting that the law stipulates that the number of guest workers must not exceed the number of unfilled jobs at the end of the previous year. According to 24.hu, 40 thousand guest workers came from Ukraine, 16 thousand from Vietnam, while 10 thousand from the Phillipines.

Central Statistical Office (KSH) figures show that in the third quarter of last year almost 80,000 jobs went unfilled, Varga said, insisting this meant that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “and his people have unlawfully roped in 40,000 guest workers”.

He vowed to submit a written question to the government regarding how many guest workers would be imported to Hungary this year and why Hungarians were not given the jobs available.

Ruling Fidesz in response said that the DK party led by Ferenc Gyurcsany and the “dollar left” tried again “to mislead” Hungarians with their statements. Beside allowing illegal migrants and terrorism into Hungary, “they are now stoking up fear in Hungarians by talking about the import of illegal guest workers in the country,” Fidesz said in a statement.

It cited recent legislation which has tightened the protection of the employment of Hungarians, by setting a quota on the number of third country guest workers who can be employed in Hungary. “Their number in 2023 was 62,000 and this was never exceeded, as is required by law,” the party said, calling on DK “to stop misleading the public”.

Read also:

  • Hungarian workers train guest workers then get fired from Hungarian factory? – Read more HERE

New rule-of-law procedure will start against Hungary? – UPDATED

European-Union

The government is extending the deadline for responding to the National Consultation public survey by a week, to 17 January, the Government Information Centre (KTK) said on Tuesday.

Many questionnaires are still being returned, the centre said in a statement, adding that so far 1,222,000 responses have been made.

The statement said Hungarians were being given the chance to express their opinion on several issues that fundamentally affected the country’s sovereignty, such as the EU’s migration package.

“It will carry much weight at the negotiating tables in Brussels if we are many in standing up for our position…” it added.

Read also:

  • Government: national consultation about Ukraine aid and war successful – Read more HERE

Hungary MEP says change needed in Brussels

“Brussels needs change, so Hungary will have to take over its political leadership in June,” Balázs Hidvéghi, an MEP of ruling Fidesz, said on Tuesday.

“People from the Soros network are pursuing their surreptitious attacks on Hungary,” Hidvéghi said in a video sent to MTI, referring to a Finnish MEP’s recent proposal

to launch a new rule-of-law procedure against Hungary and suspend the country’s voting rights.

Hidvéghi insisted that the European Commission had “issued a written certificate” of Hungary’s rule of law being adequate when it released 10 billion euros in EU funding to the country.

  • EP elections to be ‘eye-opener for Brussels’, says Orbán’s political director

Fidesz MP: European liberal left ‘contradicting itself again’

It did not take long in the new year for the European liberal left “to contradict itself again”, Judit Varga, the (Fidesz) head of parliament’s European affairs committee, said on Tuesday. Varga cited recent reports of “the Brussels elite” planning to initiate another Article 7 procedure against Hungary that would set the basis for suspending the country’s voting rights.

She said in a Facebook post that this came after Hungary had built the European Union’s best-rated justice system, which she said was proven by the fact that the European Commission had begun to unfreeze the cohesion funds the country is entitled to. Varga added it was clear that when it came to “Hungarophobia, the liberal left did not even believe its own institutions”.

EP elections to be ‘eye-opener for Brussels’, says Orbán’s political director

ORbán

The European Parliamentary elections this year will need to “open up the eyes of Brussels” where currently “it’s the blind leading the blind”, Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director, told MTI on Monday.

“The Brussels elite has long turned a blind eye to the real, everyday problems of European people,” Orbán said. They won’t see the influx of illegal migrant masses, the need to protect children against “liberal indoctrination and the gender ideology”, the ramifications of the sanctions against Russia, the “forced green transition” leading to increased utility prices, as well as Europe’s dwindling competitiveness, he insisted.

Concerning migration, the official said the number of illegal entries along the community’s external borders reached 355,300 in 2023, up 17 percent from the previous year and the highest figure since 2015. The number of entry attempts along Hungary’s southern border neared 171,000, he said. Orbán also added that

217,070 illegal migrants had been ordered to leave the community in the first half of last year, but “only one-fifth of them were actually expelled, all the rest remaining in Europe as illegal immigrants.”

“Illegal migration must be stopped at the border, and problems must be resolved where they occur rather than imported to Europe,” Orbán said.

“Rather than adopting a functional Hungarian model, Brussels forced upon the community a migration pact which does not contribute to resolving the problem but constitutes the problem itself. aimed at creating migrant ghettoes and introducing mandatory quotas,” the director said.

As we wrote before, “Hungary is today the voice of the European people,” Orbán said, adding that only Hungary was able “to consistently express the opinion of the European majority on a government level” – details HERE.

Fidesz: Despite “pro-terrorist demonstrations” in W European cities, Brussels continues its policy

Daily News Hungary Logo Új

Next year’s European Parliament elections will give Hungarians and Europeans the chance to tell Brussels what direction they want the continent to go in, the head of parliament’s European affairs committee said on Sunday.

“We cannot be idle; change is needed,” Judit Varga said in a video message.

“We can confidently say that the year we’re leaving behind wasn’t an easy one,” Varga said, noting the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the “sanctions-fuelled inflation”.

“It has also become clear that the bureaucrats in Brussels are incapable of handling global challenges in the era of dangers,”

Varga said. “The flawed sanctions and war policy has caused the European Union to tilt towards a recession.”

Meanwhile, Varga said that despite the “pro-terror demonstrations” in Western European cities, Brussels continued to push for the approval of its migration package, which she said would be tantamount to an invitation to illegal immigrants.

She said that in 2024 the ruling alliance of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats would work to put Hungary “back on the path of development” and preserve the country’s sovereignty.

As we wrote before, legal procedure may launch against Hungary next summer, details HERE.

Will Hungary introduce the euro in 2024? Here is what Bloomberg says

Government: EU’s ‘failed solution’ on migration ‘compromises security’

Migration refugee camp EU migration pact

With its recent decision on migration policy, the European Union “is again forcing through a solution which has already failed in western Europe and would seriously compromise security”, György Bakondi, the prime minister’s chief security advisor, told public television late on Saturday.

Bakondi called it “strange” that a qualified majority had passed the decision rather than a unanimous vote and that “all the arguments that we presented went unheard”.

“They would introduce a distribution by quota … Brussels would determine how many migrants Hungary should accommodate; failing this, the country would be required to pay [a fee in compensation] per capita in line with the quotas,” Bakondi said.

Also, in an emergency, refusal to accommodate migrants and paying compensation instead would not be an option, he said.

He said that given the link between organised crime, terrorism and illegal migration, “the Hungarian government cannot accept” the associated security risk.

Bakondi said the EU’s position was in conflict with the Hungarian constitution, and the government was “ready to fight in legal forums for the security and sovereignty of the Hungarian people.”

Also, it was “on the EU’s agenda” to ensure fast-track citizenship for migrants, he said, because “they think that if a Muslim illegal migrant votes, they will certainly not vote for nationalist-conservative parties, and this would benefit left-liberal forces in the long run.”

Read also:

  • Schengen in serious trouble: strict control prolonged at Hungarian border again – Read more HERE
  • Minister: We strongly reject new EU pact

PM security advisor: Hungary rejects implementing EU migration pact

Migration Migráció Bevándorlás Border Határ Röszke

Hungary doesn’t want to implement the measures of the European Union’s migration pact which was not adopted with a unanimous vote, and rejects settling migrants in the country, the prime minister’s chief security advisor told commercial TV2 on Thursday.

György Bakondi said the EU approach to allow migrants into the bloc’s territory to await the assessment of their asylum applications “after they have crossed 6 to 8 safe countries” was “mistaken”.

“In 2015, botched EU asylum policies led to some 400,000 migrants jostling here”, he warned.

“Hungary had done everything in its power to change EU decision-makers’ stance, but its efforts had been in vain,” Bakondi said.

Under the pact, EU countries may pay a quota if they refuse to accept illegal migrants, he said. At the same time, all member states are mandated to accept immigrants in emergency situations, “and determining when it is an emergency will be decided centrally”.

“Settling migrants” is against Hungary’s fundamental law, and it is in Hungary’s national interest to only accept those who have already obtained a refugee status, he added.

He said that through the National Consultation public survey, Hungarians could give a mandate to the government to continue to vigorously represent its stance in the EU.

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Szijjártó: We strongly reject new EU pact

szijjártó east west cooperation

Hungary rejects in the strongest possible terms the political agreement reached on the EU’s new pact on migration and asylum, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday.

Answering a question at a joint press conference with his Slovak counterpart in Budapest, Szijjártó said he was strongly opposed to the agreement reached by negotiators of the European Parliament and the European Union, according to a ministry statement.

Asked about the “crisis regulation” component of the migration pact, Szijjártó said “no one can force Hungary to let anybody in”.

“We reject this migration pact, we will not let anybody in against our will,” he said, adding that “we cannot be told either from Brussels or anywhere else whom we should allow in and we reject in the most resolute terms to be punished for that”.

“This is Hungary, a Hungarian country, and in this country the Hungarian people have empowered us, not the Brussels elite, to govern,” the foreign minister said.

The new migration pact will have to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council.

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Hungary supported extra funding for migration

Iranian Christian Hungary migration border control illegal entrants europe

At the European Union summit this week, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voted in support of extra funding for migration in the EU budget and continues to support it, the prime minister’s press chief said on Facebook on Saturday.

Bertalan Havasi reacted to French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks concerning a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine. Macron said that Orban’s decision on Thursday to block the package was “dishonest” because the decision also raised obstacles to the use of funding for managing migration.

“It was a long evening, and the French president obviously does not remember it correctly,” Havasi said.

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  • Hungary will lose its veto right in the EU?

Schengen in serious trouble: strict control prolonged at Hungarian border again

The Slovenian government decided to prolong strict border control on their borders with Hungary and Croatia in their Thursday meeting. The extension will last much longer than any of the previous ones.

The Slovenian government decided to extend strict border control between Slovenia and Hungary until 22 June 2024, turizmus.com, a Hungarian travel news media outlet, wrote. The same extension will apply to the Slovenian-Croatian border.

The country reestablished strict border control temporarily last October, but it seems that it will last almost a year. The October decision followed the Schengen Codex’s 28th article. According to that, Slovenia could introduce such a measure for only two months. Now, they refer to the codex’s 25th and 27th article enabling it for six months.

Ljubjana said the reason behind the decision is the dangerous Middle East and Ukraine situation and the terrorist attacks committed in different EU member states. Authorities say terror danger is high in Slovenia, and if something menaces one Schengen member, it means all the zone is under threat. They added that illegal migration increases security risks in the region.

About possible extensions, they said authorities constantly monitor the situation and their decision is based on how the region’s security will be in June.

Slovenia will not check all the travellers. They do targeted surveillance aiming to reduce terrorism, extremism and crime.

Read also:

  • Wizz Air launches flights from Hungarian city to Italy’s most popular destination – Read more HERE
  • Budapest-Vienna railway connection to be restored with many changes

FinMin: Govt asks EU for reimbursement of border protection costs

Border Control Migration Fence

Finance Minister Mihály Varga has asked the European Union to reimburse Hungary for the money it has spent on protecting the external border.

In a letter to European commissioner for budget and administration, Johannes Hahn, Varga said the protection of the EU borders was based on a consensus dating back many decades, and the original intent was for member states to ensure protection using common funding.

He said the migration crisis had now led to a situation in which the original legislative intent had not been fully fulfilled.

In the letter posted on Facebook on Thursday, he said Hungary had prevented one million illegal border crossings on its southern border since 2015, adding that migration pressure was increasing, and this year alone Hungarian border guards had taken action against 100,000 illegal migrants.

Hungary has spent more than 1.6 billion euros on border protection since 2015, he said, adding that EU contributions had barely exceeded 1 percent of the costs.

In response to the increase in illegal migration, Hungary adapted to the changed situation, he said, successfully preventing illegal migration.

“We would consider it fair” if the European Commission recognised this effort and took an appropriate share in financing the increased Schengen border protection costs, Varga said in the letter.

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