MORAHALOM - Police detained 501 migrants over the weekend who cut their way through Hungary's steel border fence, the highest number since Hungary sealed off its southern borders in mid-October.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has boosted his public support with a tough stance on migration. His right-wing government has put up a fence on the borders with Serbia and Croatia to keep out the mostly Middle Eastern migrants.
The fence diverted the flow of migrants away from Hungary toward Croatia and Slovenia last year when hundreds of thousands crossed the Balkans en route to Austria and western Europe.
However, as the weather improved in recent weeks, the number of migrants increased, and more began to cut through the fence despite a heavy police presence.
Not everyone jumps the fence, which is a crime in Hungary. On Monday a group of 20 to 30 migrants approaching from Serbia ran into dozens of police and soldiers patrolling the border near the town of Morahalom.
The migrants just headed to the nearest border station along the fence's Serbian side, shadowed by police in Hungary.(Reuters)