Hungary will keep its fence on the southern border to protect both Hungary and the EU's Schengen borders and to prevent terrorist attacks.
Pál Völner, Justice Ministry state secretary, said Hungary’s border rules “do indeed go against [US financier] George Soros’s plan to settle hundreds of thousands of migrants in Europe a year.”
The fence physically prevents migrants from entering the country, while border officers escort those who manage to cross the border back to the transit zones where they can apply for asylum, he said.
“In contrast to what rights groups, people smugglers and Soros want to achieve,” Hungary will only give refugee status to those who have indeed fled countries where their lives were in danger, Völner said. He stressed that this practice was in line with international norms. He added that Hungary’s asylum regulations conform to the Geneva Conventions.
The state secretary also defended the state providing refugees with non-cash support, noting that refugees in the transit zones have access to WiFi and television and families have access to a playground.