Since the introduction on Sept. 15 of legal amendments making illegal border crossing a criminal act, police have taken criminal proceedings for illegal border crossing in 542 cases and in 21 cases for damaging the border fence, she added.

Attila Kiss, the deputy director of the immigration office, said that 176,168 people submitted a request for asylum since the start of the year. Some 80% of them were men, including 51% aged between 18 and 34.

The immigration office also registered more than 8,600 requests by minors without an accompanying adult since the beginning of the year, he added.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu - Visit Hungary Matters to sign-up for MTI’s twice-daily newsletter.