Increased apprehensions of irregular migrants require increased border security by the police and armed forces – 1,000 soldiers on the border with Hungary in future.
“The European asylum system has failed. We are seeing that the number of apprehensions at the Austrian border is rising again, especially at the border with Hungary. We are therefore massively increasing our security network at the Austrian border and requesting additional soldiers from the Austrian Armed Forces,” said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer at a joint press conference with Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner on Saturday.
Tanner emphasized that the Austrian Armed Forces will therefore massively and quickly reinforce its assistance forces at the borders: “The Jäger Battalion 25 from Klagenfurt will begin its deployment today. At the same time, the current and actual needs of the army are constantly being coordinated in cooperation with the Burgenland Provincial Police Directorate,” said the Minister of Defense. There are currently 600 soldiers deployed at the border in Burgenland, and a further 400 men will now reinforce this deployment. This means that a total of 1,400 soldiers will be deployed throughout Austria in security police assistance operations at the borders in various federal states.
“Austria is a welfare state. To ensure that we can continue to be one in the future, we must consistently work against illegal migration and for pan-European cooperation on asylum issues,” continued the Minister of the Interior, referring in particular to the multilateral partnerships with similarly demanding EU states.
Since the beginning of the year, 200 smugglers have already been arrested. At the same time, the police have noticed that smugglers change routes depending on the intensity of their checks. Another key factor in illegal migration is the coronavirus, which smuggling organizations take advantage of. A particular hotspot for illegal border crossings is the border with Hungary in Burgenland, which is why increased border protection is being established there first. The assistance deployment of the Austrian Armed Forces for border protection will continue until further notice and will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.
