Hungary refugee crisis: Asylum requests rejected at the Serbian border
As the unprecedented influx of migrants continues to rise by the day, beating its own records, Hungary has decided to close down a key border crossing from Serbia overnight, slamming doors of hope to thousands of migrants hoping to find asylum in the European state.
The laws that took effect on Tuesday state that anyone caught trying to climb the fences built around the borders will face up to three years in jail.
According to The Guardian, Hungary says it has turned down 16 asylum requests as of Tuesday, while 32 other requests are still being processed. Another 174 are facing prosecution for illegally crossing the border.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Earlier, Serbia has stated that it will definitely not be able to handle the surge of migrants if it becomes the "center of arrivals," including the refugees sent back from Hungary and may others on the way from Greece and Macedonia.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that Hungary's decision to finally block the hole in its Serbian border actually means that Serbia will need "immediate" help to cope with the pouring of migrants after Hungary has closed its doors.
Meanwhile, Austria said it has notified the European Commission that it will start to impose temporary controls within its borders with Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia to help its people prepare everything necessary once it opens doors to the migrants.
CNN reports that a record of 9,380 migrants have started to cross the border, as reported by Hungarian police, which is a number nearly double the previous record of 5,809 migrants tallied a day earlier.
Thousands of migrants banged on the fence, with tired voices shouting "Open, open," as children looked into Hungary through the cracks, some asking when the border will be opened again.
Amnesty International slammed Hungary for its actions, referring to the decision as "ugly" and "draconian." Gauri van Gulik, the deputy director for Europe said Hungary's way of blocking refugees who are fleeing from terrifying experiences from their homes is a "woefully irresponsible response" to the people who have already been victims of a war-torn brutality.
