Police were monitoring the area with helicopters and mounted police were also present. The authorities also prepared a train wagon fitted with a razor-wire frame to block the border on the Szeged-Horgos railway line, a favoured crossing point for migrants.

This part was not sealed off earlier due to ongoing cross-border train services, which were suspended in late August. This affected services between Szeged on the Hungarian and Szabadka (Subotica) on the Serbian side.



The train carriage is used as a temporary measure before a mobile gate is built. Police were allowing in small groups of migrants into the country. A law on tightening up border protection controls came into force at midnight.

If someone declares themselves a refugee after having failed to lodge their asylum request in Serbia, their application will be rejected in Hungary, since Serbia is a safe country, PM Viktor Orbán said in an interview to TV2 on Monday night. Orbán also said that on balance it was “more likely than not” that a emergency situation would be declared in Hungary concerning immigration.



He said Tuesday brought a new situation as new regulation enables police to arrest illegal border-crossers who could now face several years in prison and expulsion.

Signs will be placed on the fence indicating where the nearest legal crossing point is, he said, adding that it is at these points that asylum can be requested.

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MTI photo: Ujvári Sándor