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Number of illegal migrants entering Hungary more than doubled in 2019

The number of illegal entrants to Hungary grew by 2.6 times in 2019 compared to 2018.

The number of illegal migrants entering Hungary more than doubled in 2019, it has been revealed.

László Balázs, leader of the Hungarian police’s border patrol forces, said the number of illegal entrants to Hungary grew by 2.6 times in 2019 compared to 2018.

Balázs said migration pressure was particularly strong at the end of the year, with some 1,400 migrants arriving in Hungary between December 16 and 22. Another 803 were apprehended between January 1 and 5, 2020.

He added that illegal migration was on the rise everywhere along the border of the Schengen area, especially on the Serbian and Romanian border sections.

Brigadier-General László Garas of the Hungarian Armed Forces said the number of soldiers serving on the borders had been doubled over the past few days. Drones and helicopters are also deployed in reconnaissance, he said.

Photo credit: tenyek.hu