Fewer migrants are currently being arrested in Burgenland than in a long time. “It’s not because of the winter,” state police said. The smuggling mafia has changed its strategy.
In addition, Governor Hans Peter Doskozil’s SPÖ demand for an upper limit on asylum applications and basic services is reigniting the debate on the refugee situation.
Last week, 21 migrants were reported. Last summer, many refugees often had to be received and registered every two to five hours. The long influx came to an abrupt end at the beginning of November. “In the last quarter, almost 100 arrests per month were registered,” the state police office said.
Brutal ‘business model’
However, the cold season is not the decisive factor for this. “Smuggling is a ‘business model’ of organized crime that is carried out completely independently of the prevailing temperatures,” says Eisenstadt. The drastic decrease in the number of arrests is mainly a result of the changed tactics of smugglers.
Tugboats give way
As reported, the migration routes have shifted. Police operations due to illegal refugee transports can now be heard more often from Styria and Carinthia. So far, not a single smuggler has been arrested in Burgenland in 2024, because the smuggling gangs avoid Austria’s easternmost state.
The main reasons, according to the State Police Directorate, are: the end of visa freedom for Indians and Tunisians in Serbia, the successful cross-border Operation Fox with arrests of smugglers in Hungary and consistent border controls. In addition, these include priority actions at the external borders, international investigations and improvements in the exchange of information in real time after arrests.
Debate about asylum applications
Although the situation at the border with Hungary, which until recently was extremely tense, has calmed down after years, migration remains the second most important problem among the population after inflation, as shown by current surveys. Building on the 2018 SPÖ position ‘Flight-Asylum-Migration-Integration’, state governor Hans Peter Doskozil reiterated his call on the federal government for an upper limit on asylum applications and basic services.
“Doskozil likes to see himself as the opposition to the federal government. When I called for an upper limit of 10,000 asylum applications last year, the SPÖ was silent,” said ÖVP state chairman Christian Sagartz in response to the debate.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
