‘The real crisis is neither at the US-Mexican nor at the European borders. Instead, it stems from Central America. Crime, violence, corruption, and economic devastation in the region have propelled people to the border. In terms of Europe, it is the Balkans, Africa, and the Middle East that have propelled their citizens to flee inhumane situations.’

Pope Francis thanked the Catholic church in Hungary for its charitable work. ‘You have built up a network that links pastoral workers, volunteers, parish and diocesan Caritas organizations, while also engaging prayer groups, communities of believers, and organisations belonging to other confessions, yet united in the ecumenical fellowship that is born of charity,’ he noted. ‘Thank you too, for having welcomed—not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm—so many refugees from Ukraine.’

Pope Francis is visiting the Hungarian community for the third time in just four years, but his first official trip specifically to Hungary will only take place this weekend.

The number of successfully or unsuccessfully attempted illegal crossings at EU borders reached 330,000 in 2022, the highest number since 2015. Meanwhile, Denmark and the United Kingdom are pursuing plans to relocate illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

The uptick in the number of refugees from Ukraine to Hungary is hardly surprising given the cold winter and the damage to the Ukrainian infrastructure and housing.

The majority of the refugees were intellectuals, mostly from Transylvania, followed by those from what is Slovakia, Serbia and Austria today, but there were also some who fled to Hungary from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

As gunfights between the human smugglers camping near Hungary’s border have become a daily occurrence, PM Orbán announced the creation of a new border patrol force ready to meet the challenge.

Even if we focus only on Hungary, we see that around 450.000 refugees from Ukraine have crossed the country’s border so far, which is by far the highest influx of displaced persons to the country since the Yugoslav war.

Refugees can now access social welfare and medical assistance, while Ukrainian children have the right to attend education and day care in Hungary.