Authorities in Austria have registered more illegal immigrants at the border with Hungary than ever before after police apprehended 591 individuals in the eastern state of Burgenland in just one day, it has emerged.
The nation’s Operations Center said authorities were expecting a surge in migration and are making the adequate preparations.
“This is a new peak value. We have never had so many arrests in a single day this year and not since 2015, the year of the great wave of refugees,” the Krone newspaper quoted the Operations Center.
“Millions of migrants are waiting”
Illegal immigrants have been pushing their way to Europe via the Balkan route for several weeks now, moving through Serbia into the EU’s borderless Schengen Area before continuing their journey to their European nation of choice.
The primary destination of mass migration is still Germany; however, since Poland expanded its border facilities, Germany’s eastern neighbor has ceased to be a transit country, placing greater pressure on the Austrian border.
“The tense situation will continue to deteriorate,” an investigator told German media. “The previous record for illegal border crossings is likely to be surpassed soon,” they added.
One border guard revealed to the Krone newspaper that officials are expecting a substantial wave in the near future.
“Millions of migrants are waiting hundreds of kilometers to the east in camps and hiding places to flee,” the border guard said. “The preparations for this are in full swing. The rush will come,” they added.