ROSZKE , Hungary, Aug. 26 (UPI) — Hungary announced Wednesday 2,100 police officers will be sent to its Serbian border, after protests by immigrants there required tear gas to subdue.
Police detained between 300 and 400 refugees at a reception center in Roszke, part of a record number 2,100 who entered Hungary Tuesday, traveling from Syria, through Greece and Balkan countries to European Union nations such as Hungary. Most attempt to pass into more affluent EU countries, such as Germany, now the immigrants’ preferred destination. At the Roszke center, fighting broke out after immigrants refused to be fingerprinted during their registration process, fearing it indicated they would remain in Hungary instead of being allowed to travel northward through Europe.
Hungary is in the midst of replacing razor wire with a 175 kilometer (110 mile) permanent fence at its border with Serbia, and the route through Serbia has drawn 90,000 refugees since January. Germany, which has taken a lead role in settling immigrants, expects 800,000 applications for asylum this year.
