Hungary uses prisoners to build massive border fence to block migrants

The move is likely going to attract severe criticism from the country’s Schengen and European Union partners.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government considers migration from the Middle East and Africa to be one of the largest threats to the European way of life.

The daunting new barrier is capable of delivering electric shocks to migrants attempting to scale the fence and is also armed with heat sensors, cameras and loudspeakers to further deter them.

Hungary was one of the main crossing points for hundreds of thousands of refugees trekking into Europe at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.

A barbed-wire fence is already in place after being erected in 2015 as part of Budapest’s initial efforts to prevent migrants and refugees crossing into the country.

It effectively blocked the route to Germany where many were heading, but Hungary has said the second fence would make the barrier more effective and hold back migrants while processing their asylum requests.

Although the pressure on the border is far from the peak of the 2015 crisis, border patrols still prevent hundreds of illegal border crossings per day and escort back dozens of migrants who mange to break through, the government says.

Mr Orban joined several European nations, including Denmark and Sweden, by introducing checks to the passport-free countries, a huge threat to the EU’s open border policy.

Hungary’s “transit zones” are two border posts where a total of just 10 migrants per day are allowed to enter legally.

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