Hungary to Close Zones Holding Asylum-Seekers
Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 5:23 amVOA - World News
FILE - Migrants and refugees gather at a border crossing between Serbia and Hungary in Kelebija, Serbia, Feb. 6, 2020.
FILE - Migrants and refugees gather at a border crossing between Serbia and Hungary in Kelebija, Serbia, Feb. 6, 2020.
Hungary is closing its border transit zones where it held asylum-seekers as they waited for authorities to review their applications.
The move announced Thursday by President Viktor Orban’s chief of staff follows a ruling last week by the European Union’s top court saying the system amounted to detention.
Hungary said it was moving 280 asylum-seekers to other facilities as a result of closing the transit zones.
All new asylum applications will now only be accepted at Hungarian embassies and consulates.
Orban’s government has sought to strictly limit immigration, and during a 2015 migrant crisis in Europe it built fences along its southern border.