Test section of Hungarian security fence under construction

Hungarian soldiers have begun building a 175-meter long test section of the security fence the Hungarian government says will help stop the influx of illegal immigrants mainly from North Africa and the Middle East. The plan drew heavy criticism from both Hungary and abroad.

The test section is being built near Mórahalom,a town east of the SE Hungarian city of Szeged. The entire fence is planned to be 175 kilometers long along the border between Hungary and Serbia.

Bloomberg News reminds that PM Viktor Orbán’s cabinet has drawn criticism from the United Nations and neighbouring countries for plans to seal the country’s border with Serbia and for fanning xenophobia with a billboard campaign against immigration. European Union leaders have been divided on how to tackle the wave of migration caused by Syria’s civil war, Libya’s disintegration and turmoil in northern Africa.

Hungary has registered more than 56,000 asylum requests this year and serves as an entry point to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone for immigrants who predominantly plan to settle in western Europe and often arrive via the Balkans. The cabinet, which also advocates rejecting “economic” migrants, claims the number of illegal entries to Hungary will reach as many as 130,000 by the year-end.