Slovakia reinforces border with Hungary, warning of ‘terrorist’ threat

The new Slovak government announced a deployment of police and armed forces on Monday along the border with Hungary to prevent growing numbers of migrants entering the country.

Prime Minister Robert Fico did not immediately provide further details but said illegal migration must be controlled or else people linked to “terrorist” groups could enter the country.

At a press conference near the Slovakian-Hungarian border, Fico said that 46,000 illegal migrants entered Slovakia in the first 10 months of 2023. 

“They arrived freely, almost as if they were on a trip,” he said. “Nobody was prepared for them at the border. Nobody checked them. They crossed the border checkpoints, knocked on the door of the nearest police department where they were given some paperwork.”

Fico, who spoke after meeting Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, said the deployment would start immediately and that he would personally inspect the situation at the border.

His new government was sworn in last Wednesday after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the September parliamentary election, opening the way for the populist leader to become prime minister for the fourth time.

The new government has not yet released its policy program, but Fico has suggested it will include a tough stance against migration.

Estok said that the situation in the world has been serious recently due to the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which attacked the country on 7 October, and that he expected a new wave of migration.