by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary–

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned last Friday that the police would take tougher action against migrants beginning next week. He alleges that the migrants entering the country rebelled against authorities by capturing railway stations, and refusing to be registered as refugees by the UN.

Hungary is being used as a transitory state, as migrants are traveling through to reach wealthier countries such as Germany and Sweden. In response, the legislature has passed emergency measures to help restrict the number of migrants coming through Hungary, effective September 15^th. Orban has said that from September 15^th on, migrants who cross the border illegally will be arrested, and that authorities cannot be forgiving of illegal border crossing. Hungarian prisoners and soldiers are also working on building a fence along the Hungarian-Serbian border to stem the flow of migrants into the country, and discourage illegal migration.

Over 170,000 migrants have crossed over into Hungary this year, with thousands more expected to make the journey. Most of these migrants attempt to avoid being registered in Hungary, afraid that they will be stranded or returned to Hungary once making the journey to a different country. The refugee camps that have popped up all over the country are woefully inadequate, with soldiers tossing food to crowds of migrants. Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog group, have condemned the status of these camps, as they do not provide migrants with the basic requirements of food, water and shelter.

Overwhelmed with the number of migrants that have crossed the border, Hungary is also going to guard the southern border with the army. “Considering that we are facing a rebellion by illegal migrants, police have done their job in a remarkable way, without using force,” Orban said after meeting with Manfred Weber, the chairman of the conservative European People’s Party in the European Union.

Already, backlash against the new, restrictive laws is mounting against the Hungarian Parliament. A major concern for Hungarians is where the migrants will go once they have been arrested for illegal migration, and how much it will cost taxpayers to imprison them. Additionally, Hungarians fear that they will not be able to stem the flow of refugees into the country, even with the fence and new measures. The practical realities of the law, many Hungarians believe, will do nothing but make the situation worse.

For more information, please see–

BBC–Europe migrant crisis: Hungary ‘will arrest illegal migrants’— 11 September 2015

BBC–Migrant crisis: How will UK towns deal with refugees?— 11 September 2015

CBS–Hungary cracking down on migrants crossing border— 11 September 2015

PBS–Hungary enacts tougher laws on illegal immigrants— 11 September 2015

Reuters– Orban: Hungary will arrest ‘rebellious’ migrants— 11 September 2015

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany–

Interior Minister, Thomas de Maiziere, announced that Germany would impose temporary border controls on its border with Austria to deal with the massive influx of migrants. While affirming that Germany had the capacity to welcome a significant number of refugees, de Maiziere called on other European Union nations to do more, and reiterated that migrants cannot choose their host country.

Up until now, Germany has had an open policy regarding migration. However, the massive numbers of refugees, who have mainly been turned away from other countries, coming into Germany, has caused an overflow. “The aim of these measures is to limit the current inflows to Germany and to return to orderly procedures when people enter the country,” de Maiziere said at a news conference. Although this goes against the idea of the Schengen zone, which allows for free movement between several different European nations, the agreement permits individual countries to suspend the free movement on a temporary basis.

Germany has also announced that these measures are only temporary, and will only turn away migrants not fleeing war or persecution in their home country. Additional measures include shutting down borders to admit those with passports, and sending police and the army to patrol the borders. The emergency measures are a clear demonstration of how extensive the migrant crisis is, and how Germany has been stretched thin in the past couple of days.

In the meantime, trains between Germany and Austria have been suspended. They are set to resume Monday afternoon. This past Saturday alone, more than 13,000 migrants arrived in Munich, with a total of 800,000 migrants expected to arrive in total. Munich has borne the brunt of the arrivals, as it is the southernmost major city in Germany, closest to the border Austria.

The move to temporarily close the borders also serves as a threat to other European nations. de Maiziere mentioned in his statement that Germany would “first” close its borders with Austria, with the insinuation that borders with other countries would be soon to follow. The implication may be that other European Union countries will have to act to help ease the burden off of Germany.

For many migrants, the move means Germany is no longer pursuing a laissez-faire policy, and that the Dublin Rule of migration is still enforceable. With this, migrants will be forced to register with the first country they arrive in, and any others outside the strict migration quota will be turned away.

For more information, please see–

BBC–Migrant crisis: Germany to start temporary border controls— 13 September 2015

The Telegraph–Border controls return to Europe as continent struggles with refugee crisis— 13 September 2015

Time–Germany Imposes Emergency Border Controls as Migrants Continue to Arrive— 13 September 2015

USA Today–Germany imposes emergency border controls— 13 September 2015

Wall Street Journal–Germany Imposes Border Checks Amid Migrant Wave— 13 September 2015