On 23^rd of May 2016 Mr. Dondiv Bold, Director General of the Mongolian Immigration Office visited Hungary. The purpose of his visit was the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding renewed on 16^th October 2013, signed between the two offices in order to streghten further effective international cooperation against terrorism. Ms. Batbayar Bolor, Deputy Head of Mission (Charge D’Affaires) and Ms. Ravdan Khanddorj., administrator of Embassador participated at the meeting from the side of the Mongolian Embassy in Hungary. The representatives of the Airport Police Directorate hold an illustrative presentation about a vehichle type - Renault Master – that is used for forced deportation; forced measures in use were also introduced by the Hungarian authority. Thereafter a document security lecture was hold.

Photo: OIN

On 24^th May 2016 the Mongolian delegation visited the Closed Asylum Detention Centre in Kiskunhalas, where dr. Róbert Mátó, Director introduced the organization. During the meeting a presentation was hold on the legal background of the asylum detention by Ms. Tímea Pelei, Head of the Asylum Unit of the North Plan Regional Directorate. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Röszke-Horgos Road Border Crossing Point, where dr. Balázs Nagy, police lieutenant colonel provided information on the three-stage examination system. At the end of the official programme, dr. József Seres, Director of the South Plan Regional Directorate introduced the Röszke Transit Zone for the Mongolian partners.

OIN, 26.05.2016

Körmend, April 28, 2016, Thursday (Hungarian News Agency) – “The first group of migrants is expected to arrive in the temporary reception facility with a capacity of 300 set up on the premises of the local police vocational school in Körmend on 2 May.” – announced Anikó Sipos, Head of Regional Directorate of the Office of Immigration and Nationality at a press conference held in the town hall of Körmend on Thursday. She said – “the capacities of the temporary open reception facility are being continuously filled up in line with the increase in the number of migrants seeking asylum in Hungary and the changes in the number of asylum seekers accommodated in other reception facilities.  

At the press conference, Miklós Dukai, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior emphasized that the Government had no other choice than opening the temporary reception facility in Körmend due to the increasing migration pressure. He added – “despite the physical closure of the Balkans borders the number of migrants flowing into Europe has been on the increase and migrants are constantly searching for new routes”.  On the basis of information he provided, more than 12.000 migrants have applied for asylum in Hungary this year, and the colleagues of the Office of Immigration and Nationality register more than 200 asylum applications on a daily basis, in addition, the number of individuals accommodated in the reception centers, community shelters, and transit zones has reached 1.777, which is twice as much as it was before. He added – “the overwhelming majority of migrants are not fleeing warzones. Most of them are coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan and North African countries. Hungary is still considered a transit country and not a destination country as migrants wish to travel on to Western European countries”. The Deputy State Secretary kept emphasizing that the Hungarian Government had done everything to prevent illegal migrants from entering the country, then installed and fortified the southern border fence, and made preparations to install a border fence on the Hungarian Romanian border, deployed more border patrol troops and improved their technical conditions. Speaking of the reception center in Körmend, Miklós Duklai could not stress more that the reception center was destined to be a temporary reception facility, which was well supported by the fact that tents had been installed and the facility had been located in a guarded police facility to cause as little trouble to the inhabitants of Körmend as possible.

Sipos Anikó stressed that only registered and medically screened asylum seekers would be placed in the temporary reception facility in Körmend.

János Tiborcz, Head of Police Department of Vas County, contended that the number of Vas County police officers had been increased and reinforced by riot police officers and civil guards, and if need arose, by the armed forces to patrol in Körmend and its surroundings up to the Austrian border. “The County Police Department maintains permanent contact with and consults the provincial Police Department and leadership of Burgenland.” – he added. “All necessary preparations have been taken to ensure that the inhabitants of Körmend continue to enjoy the same public safety they have been accustomed to for decades.” – said János Tiborcz.

István Bebes, the mayor (Fidesz Party) of Körmend, said that they were really hoping that the tent camp would be set up and never put into use. It is important to note though, that “the premises where this temporary facility has been installed is a location belonging to the Ministry of Interior, where migration-related activities can easily be undertaken” – said István Bebes. He also reminded that their public safety-related concerns have been responded by the reinforcement of the police force present in Körmend, and if necessary, the Hungarian Armed Forces could also be deployed. He also emphasized the importance of the reinforcement of local civil guards and the necessity for enhancing the CCTV system. He added that he was going to encourage the members of the City Council to financially support the reinforcement of the local civil guards.

Photo: György Varga/MTI

bcsp \ bám \ bpt

08/04/2016, Budapest (MTI) – In its communiqué (sent to the MTI), the Office of Immigration and Nationality (OIN) emphasized on Friday afternoon that current detention conditions are in correspondence with both of EU law and Hungarian regulatory requirements.

The OIN made a comment on the article published on Thursday on the news portal, titled ’Abcúg’ where – among others – it was written that the asylum seekers who come to Europe experience the same circumstances in the Hungarian asylum system as at home, from where they have escaped. Referring to the essays published by the Helsinki Committee and the Cordelia Foundation, the news portal indicated numerous problems and defects. As an example, they highlighted that the asylum seekers have only limited internet access. What’s more, the experts who are in daily connection with the asylum seekers do not have specific qualifications and even the colleagues who work in the immigration detention facilities – in the majority of the cases – do not even have basic English knowledge.    

According to the article’s speakers, refugees are in quasi ’prison conditions’ both in the asylum and in the immigration detention centers. In accordance with the essay, there is no psychologists or psychiatrists in the asylum system.   

In its comment the OIN enhanced that some of the essay’s investigations were released during that period when Hungary was facing the biggest migratory pressure of its history. ’As a consequence, the essay reflects false and sometimes unfounded conclusions’ – as it was noticed. What’s more, - as they underlined – the report contains incorrect facts, like the Békéscsaba asylum acility is not accessible for disabled people, however there is a specific room in the ground floor of the facility which is made especially for the supply of the disabled people’s needs.   

What’s more, - as it was written – there is medical care (which has been operating since years financed by EU support) at the Békéscsaba and Kiskunhalas Asylum Detention Centres where one of the Cordelia Foundation’s doctors also works. 

According to the OIN, that announcement is very deceptive in which the Asylum Act does not mention the person who becomes victim of human trafficking among the people with specific needs, due to the illustrative nature of the law (people suffered from rape / psychical / physical / other serious forms of sexual violence) which also involves this category. What’s more, - as it was highlighted – Hungarian immigration regulations ensure specific treatment and measures of support to the victims of human trafficking.

It was also mentioned that the asylum authority’s colleagues shall participate in a training which is ordered by the law. This regulatory requirement is granted with a training elaborated by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). It was also enhanced that it is a requirement for the immigration decisionmakers and the social workers who work in asylum detention centers to be able to communicate in a foreign language in an adequate level. Among the colleagues – as it was also emphatized – there are also Arabic speakers, not just English / German / French speakers. 

Commenting the lack of adequate medical care the Office of Immigration and Nationality indicated the followings: on the basis of the law, people with specific needs – regarding to their situation and based on the medical specialist’s opinion – are entitled to utilize (free of charge) the reasonable medical services, rehabilitation care, psychological care, clinical psychology specialist’s care and psycho-therapeutic treatments. 

It was also denied by the OIN, that the asylum seekers do not receive information about their cases and about the proceedings. They explained the followings: the asylum authority gives proper information in the mother tongue or in other languages understood by the applicants. What’s more, the authority organizes regularly customer receptions where applicants are able to obtain information not only about the gerenal proceedings but about their specific cases as well.

In its communiqué, the Office of Immigration and Nationality highlighted that the free movement and keeping contact with the outside world (thus the use of internet and public telephones as well) are ensured within the asylum detention centers. What offen happens is that the facilities’ residents themselves make damage on the contact equipments and computers and even make them unusable.  

6:06 p.m., 08/04/2016, MTI

The delegation of the Vietnamese Office of Immigration and Nationality (Ministry of Public Security) visited the OIN between 22 and 23 March, 2016. Delegation members were Lt. Gen. Mr. Vu Thanh Binh (Deputy Head of the Vietnamese National Security Agency of the Ministry of Public Security), Maj. Gen. Mr. Le Xuan Vien (Director General of the Vietnamese Office of Immigration and Nationality), Mr. Dang Van Phuong (Deputy Head of the Aliens Policing Directorate), D. Com. Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh Phuong (Deputy Head of Noi Bai International Airport) and Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, colleague of the Department of International Affairs.

(Photo: OIN)

The delegation was welcomed by Ms. Zsuzsanna Végh, Director General, Mr. Attila Kiss, Deputy Director General and Ms. Szilvia Konyhás, Head of Aliens Policing Directorate. Among the meeting’s topics the two institutes’ current and future areas of cooperation was discussed. The aliens policing work of the Hungarian OIN was also presented and a Cooperation Agreement was signed ceremoniously.