Hundreds of Refugees Camp Out at 'Transit Zone' in Budapest Rail Station

Hundreds of refugees are camped out at a ‘transit zone’ in Budapest’s Keleti rail station, hoping to make it to Germany after navigating a perilous route from the Middle East across the Mediterranean and through the Balkans. A record 2,533 potential asylum seekers crossed the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke on Tuesday, local police reported, just days before the Hungarian government is set to finish building a border fence to keep them out.

On the same day, Germany announced that it would stop sending away refugees and process asylum claims. The Federal Office of Migration and Refugees in Germany announced on Twitter that it would suspend the Dublin Regulation—a 1990 rule forcing refugees to seek asylum in the nation they first arrive—in regards to Syrian refugees. With the move, Germany becomes the first EU nation to disregard the rule.

Hungary announced on August 26 that it would deploy over 2,000 police officers to help control its border with Serbia, Al Jazeera reported. As thousands of Syrian refugees en route to Hungary continue to flood into Macedonia and Serbia from Greece, aid agencies like the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) are calling for a long-term solution. Hungary has received over 120,000 asylum applications so far this year, UNHCR said.

This footage shows the scene in Keleti station, which has begun to ‘feel like a refugee camp,’ according to reports. Credit: Vastagbőr blog