Hungary Blocks Main Route for Refugees into the European Union

The right-wing government of Hungary on Tuesday, September 24, blocked the main route for refugees into the European Union, and reports indicate that a wave of refugees has gathered behind the barbed wire erected at the country's borders with Serbia. According to Reuters, under new Hungarian laws that came into effect at midnight on Tuesday, anyone seeking asylum at the border with Serbia will be automatically returned. Those who violate this law and attempt to cross the border illegally will be imprisoned. Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, who is a staunch opponent of the large influx of refugees, claims that the country's new action is to preserve Europe's 'Christian values.' The recent wave of refugees heading towards Europe is primarily from Islamic countries, especially Syria, who have made their way from Turkey and other locations to Greece and Serbia, and are then attempting to reach Germany and Sweden. Reuters reports that in scenes reminiscent of the Cold War, families with their children are sitting behind barbed wire fences three and a half meters high that Hungary has recently erected at its border with Serbia. In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of refugees have made their way to Europe through the east and south and then headed to wealthier countries. This wave of migration is unprecedented in Europe since World War II. The new actions of the Hungarian government began just hours after a meeting of the interior ministers of the 28 EU member states ended without results, which was held to break the deadlock regarding the implementation of a refugee quota plan across all member countries. The German Interior Minister at this meeting stated that the EU must impose financial penalties on countries that refuse to implement this plan. The recent wave of refugees has forced Germany and several of its neighboring countries to re-establish emergency border controls for the first time in two decades. Germany and other relatively progressive European countries argue that Europe has a moral duty to accept refugees, and other member states must take responsibility in this regard. Meanwhile, Eastern European countries believe that widespread acceptance of refugees will only encourage more people to undertake dangerous journeys and accept high risks due to the uncontrolled wave of migration of millions. According to Hungary's new laws, refugees who reach the border with Serbia by land will be automatically returned, and those who cross the border will not be able to apply for asylum. Asylum requests will be processed within eight days, and those at the border with Serbia will be expelled within a few hours. Viktor Orban told a private Hungarian television network, 'If someone is a refugee, we ask them whether they have registered in Serbia or not. If they have not done this, they will be expelled.' Zoltan Kovacs, the spokesman for the Hungarian government, said shortly after midnight at the border with Serbia, 'We will begin a new era, and the wave of illegal refugees at our green borders will be stopped.' Reuters reported that Hungarian police have detained 9 Syrians and 7 Afghans for illegal border crossing under the new law.