“Operation Fox” began at the Austro-Hungarian border in Burgenland. Austrian police officers, in cooperation with the local authorities, must arrest refugees and fight smuggling on Hungarian territory. “You have the task of consistently and firmly applying the asylum brake,” emphasized Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) on Tuesday during a visit to the border near the Andau bridge (Nesiedl am See district).
With the new operational concept, which the Directorate of the Federal Police has been implementing since the beginning of December, the Ministry of the Interior is pursuing the objective of reducing the number of apprehended smugglers and refugees by preventing them from coming to Austria. According to Karner, the “smuggling mafia” must be fought and “asylum abuse must be prevented”.
Tasks “Operation Fox”:
- Combating people smuggling and preventing illegal migration and typical forms of cross-border crime through concentrated detection and control operations.
- Joint forms of deployment (patrols) with police forces from neighboring countries ensure fine-meshed, cross-border controls.
- Checking the legality of the residence of foreigners in the country.
- Support control and surveillance tasks when border controls are reintroduced.
- The BMI is responsible for the control and operational planning in coordination with the LPD Burgenland.
- Based on the available situation reports, findings from reconnaissance and own assessment, the corresponding priority is determined by ordering patrols.
- Support for ad hoc police challenges.
Increase to 60 officials planned
The Austro-Hungarian police patrols must control the border area independently of the priority actions. They are equipped with drones, two police dogs, thermal imaging equipment and special vehicles to track down smugglers in rough terrain. There are currently about 30 Austrian police officers and the same number of Hungarian police officers. On the Austrian side, an expansion to a maximum of 60 police officers is planned.
More than 10,000 refugees picked up
The focus is on the border areas of the districts of Neusiedl am See and Oberpullendorf, which are most affected by illegal migration. According to the police, in the area around the Andau Bridge alone, 10,800 refugees have been arrested in recent months and 47 people smugglers have been arrested.
Karner rejects criticism from Diakonie
Karner rejected the criticism of the mission, which was voiced by the Diakonie, among others, because refugees in Hungary can hardly apply for asylum. “It is said that they will be waved through in Hungary. Then we have to do something ourselves and not just demand,” said the interior minister, who also defended Austria’s right of veto over Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to Schengen: “The system doesn’t work here, in the east.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
