Chief Security Advisor György Bakondi said the pressure of migration on Hungary’s southern border is growing significantly.
Bakondi said that since the beginning of the year, 40 percent more illegal entry attempts have been reported from Hungary’s southern borders than in the first half of 2019. In the first six months of 2020, a total 13,189 migrants tried to enter illegally, while procedures have been initiated against 161 suspected people smugglers, more than in the whole of last year.
Bakondi warned that some 150,000 migrants are staying in Greece, while “the pressure of migration is weighing more and more on Turkey and Italy, too”. “Any easing [of immigration restrictions] could increase security and health risks for Hungary, trying welfare services and jeopardising jobs,” Bakondi said.
“Migrants are a potential hazard of coronavirus infection,” Bakondi insisted, and went on to say that “they could further increase unemployment caused by the Covid-19 outbreak through occupying the remaining jobs," he said.
Bakondi urged residents to express support for government measures through returning the government’s “national consultation” survey sheets.
Photo credit: hirado.hu