The Hungarian government has revealed that so far this year the country’s police have taken action against more than 250,000 irregular migrants and people smugglers.
Data provided by the government also shows that since last year the numbers have almost doubled, from 109,117 cases recorded between January 1 and November 20, 2021, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to these data, during the same period this year, 1,730 human smugglers were caught by the police compared to 1,109 in the same period last year.
“In addition to an increase in the number of cases, border violators have become more aggressive, damaging police and army vehicles and cameras using stones and bricks,” the National Police Headquarters (ORFK) noted.
The ORFK also added that human smugglers always act violently, and at any moment they suspect possible police checks, they try to leave the scene, leaving migrants behind.
In October, Hungarian authorities announced that a total of 215,000 people had been arrested for crossing irregularly the country’s borders from the beginning of the year and up until then. In this regard, the government emphasized that in 2022, they also started proceedings against 1,500 human smugglers.
At the same time, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó explained that this number of immigrants arriving in the country through the Western Balkan route is a reminder of what Hungary went through during the migration crisis of 2015.
In addition, Minister Szijjártó called for support in the Western Balkans to preserve security in these countries and the rest of Europe.
Meanwhile, the Minister also mentioned the three main elements that have always been important for Central Europe, which are security, stability, and the fight against terrorism.
Through a statement issued on August 19, chief security adviser György Bakondi revealed that since the beginning of the year, Hungary registered a total of 145,000 irregular entries.
Commenting on these data, Bakondi said that this figure has increased by 57,000 compared to the same period a year ago. As he explains, the number of arrested smugglers has doubled to almost 1,000.
Moreover, in early August, Hungary’s border control authorities said they had caught about 157,000 people trying to enter the country illegally by that time. According to Bakondi, by that time number of immigrants who were helped to cross the border had tripled.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
