The Government will discuss the closure of the reception centres situated near the southern border, János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office and Member of Parliament for the region announced on Friday in Mártély, at the off-site meeting of the Hódmezővásárhely Municipal Board.
The Board unanimously decided to initiate the closure of the Nagyfa temporary reception centre as it poses a security risk to the neighbouring localities. Mr Lázár said: the Government has no plans to build large, permanent reception centres. However, should the need arise for the accommodation of migrants on a temporary basis, they will be offered shelter elsewhere, away from the southern border.
The Minister pointed out that there are more than two hundred migrants staying at the Nagyfa centre; most of them entered the territory of Hungary illegally. People living in the vicinity complained that the migrants leaving the reception centre insult people in the street, and those living on remote farms are not safe. There was even a migrant riot at the centre last year.
The politician pointed out that some three thousand migrants arrived in Hungary in January-February, and only one hundred and sixty of them claimed to be Syrian. The vast majority of them are not war refugees, but economic migrants.
Most of them arrived through the Serbian-Hungarian border, but there were some who came from the direction of Romania. If the pressure of migration is transferred to the Serbian-Romanian and Romanian-Hungarian borders, the Government is ready to build the security border fence on the entire Romanian border section of 470 kilometres, Mr Lázár said. He added: the preparatory terrain works for the installation of the fence have already begun.
The politician takes the view it is necessary to examine whether there is a need for a second fence and the construction of roads on the Hungarian-Serbian border in order to ensure the ongoing protection of the country. The Minister said: the Government has also decided on the reinforcement of the Hódmezővásárhely barracks, and forces have been directed to the site. We should prepare for a permanent migration pressure over as long a term as ten years, and the Defence Ministry is therefore preparing plans for the development of the barracks.