Hungary starts arresting migrants as hard new laws take effect

Hungary detains migrants who crossed into the country in violation of new laws — (Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, new laws went into force in Hungary, making it a crime to damage or circumvent the border fence Hungary is rushing to build on its border with Serbia and allowing border guards to turn away most migrants on the ground that Serbia is a safe enough haven for asylum-seekers. Border guards arrested at least 16 migrants who allegedly cut their way through the 13-foot-high razor-wire-topped fence. "As of today, illegal border crossing will be a crime, and a crime is a crime," said Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Trying to beat the deadline, a record 9,380 migrants entered Hungary on Monday, following 5,809 on Sunday. Hungary filled busses and trains with the migrants and sent them to the border with Austria. So far this year, about 200,000 migrants have entered Hungary, but almost all of them have continued on to other European Union countries. On Monday, Germany and other EU countries put in place border checks, suspending the bloc's decades of internal open borders.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.