“Whereas we have basically just begun our border wall project, Hungary has implemented theirs in 2015, fortified further in 2017…and the results are astounding.”
The Hungarian government hawks George Soros interference in his birth state’s political makeup; so do we for his political activism undermining our republic. Hungary’s prime minister identifies as a parliament conservative (Fidesz Party) but was once a democrat; President Trump had that same change of heart. The Hungarian political fabric is a largely conservative weave, reminiscent of ours.
The Hungarian government saw the need to secure its borders and we have the same prerogative for ours. Hungary has been accused of xenophobia, as has the Trump administration. The nationalized Hungarian police force has over 50,000 cops, its border patrol assignees patrolling their nation’s periphery while our roughly 22,000 Border Patrol agents do likewise on American border wall sectors.
Whereas we have basically just begun our border wall project, Hungary has implemented theirs in 2015, fortified further in 2017…and the results are astounding. Relatively economical materials and logistical conventionalism cobble together positive gains in Hungary’s agenda to thwart illegal border crossings by migrants. Although it doesn’t look like much of a solid barrier, the psychological factor of a heavily-fanged congestion of concertina wire supplemented with physical, armed patrols by both Hungarian military and police officials apparently chokes off the flow of illegal entries.
According to the opening paragraph in the American Thinker whose May 2017 report highlighted data attesting to Hungary’s monumental success in border security projects, “Nearly everyone (except for the victorious coalition that elected President Trump) agrees that a border wall will not work in stopping illegal entry to our country. But an empirical experiment has just been conducted in Hungary. So whom are we going to believe, the ‘experts’ or the data?”
The actual data indicating Hungary’s border security successes were published by Rendőrség, Hungary’s national police force with a border patrol division.
In April 2017, The Daily Caller published an exposé (chart) pertaining to Hungary’s border fence victories. In October 2015 —scant weeks after the border barrier was completed and activated— thousands of migrants continued to pour across the border on a daily basis.
Fast-forward to October 2017 (after some barrier reinforcements were implemented) and we see a one-day high of 35 migrants apprehended at the Hungarian border barrier, with 10 days of zero illegal crossing incidents for the present month.
Illegal crossings went from a high of 8,702 on October 12, 2015 to a low of four on October 28 for that same year, plummeting drastically over the course of 16 days. In the words of many responding to magicians’ making things vanish: “How’d you do that?” Pursuant to veritable reports, the success remains static.
Besides its armed enforcers, what are Hungary’s border barrier components?
Omnipresent Transparency
“The 96-mile long, 14-foot-tall double-line of defense doesn’t look too intimidating from a distance. Go a little closer and you’ll notice several layers of razor-wire capable of delivering electric shocks, cameras, heat sensors and loudspeakers ready to tell migrants they’re about to break Hungarian law if they as much as touch the fence,” reported The Daily Caller, adding the barrier is virtually impenetrable due to hundreds of military officials and “border hunters” always on duty in rotating shifts. Besides paid military and law enforcement officers, Hungary also deploys approximately 1,000 “volunteers” to patrol the border barrier.
Hungary’s border barrier model incorporates several military barracks nearby the nation’s borders with Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia and Ukraine at varying portions of its border. Hungary houses roughly 10 million residents. That implies Hungary’s co-reliance on seven neighboring nations to stem the flow of migrant activities, notwithstanding its barrier border’s ostensible integrity and effectiveness.
“Close to every police officer in the country is part of a rotation to make sure the grounds are covered at all times,” reported The Daily Caller, and the military bases along the border serve as home-away-from-home encampments for those on-duty and assigned border patrol.
Syrian Surge
The surge of Syrians fleeing their native country saw Hungary as a Balkan route to distant Europe where they sought asylum. Droves of Syrians amassed at Hungary’s borders and overwhelmed the government and its populace. Like President Trump is endeavoring to abate our massive border breaches and enforce immigration codes, PM Orbán didn’t just recognize the influx but did something about it.
While violence in Syria compelled its citizens to flee their native land, Hungary was seemingly primed with its border barrier erected and staffed. A NY Times report analyzed the Russian-involved spawning of civil war calamity, resulting in mass exodus of millions of Syrians. The perceived escape route was through the Balkan region, with a resettlement destination in northern Europe.
By way of the finger of Turkey, Syrians refugees fled north to the European Union. As part of the EU, Hungary is geographically located smack dab in the middle of a direct route to all points beyond; border impediments detoured fleeing Syrians to traverse wider through other nations’ terrain, while some tried to scrape through Hungary’s border concertina. Thereafter, a taller, stanchioned, electrified dual barrier was erected and more police/military patrols were added.
Hence, the Hungarian government braced for the influx of the exodus. Despite its willingness to legally process Syrian migrants, many cared not to recognize Hungarian immigration laws. Sound familiar?
President Trump’s Border Wall
The tit-for-tat media coverage regarding the border wall has had plenty of play; some good and some bad. Who would pay for it was a constant thorn. President Trump’s assertions to make Mexico pay for our border wall sometimes seemed like stand-up comedy engendering a mixture of cheers from Americans and heckling from Mexico’s government.
On October 19, 2017, the US Senate voted to leave intact (support) funding allocations for immigration enforcement and national security.
Nonetheless, our government has recently been shopping prototypes erected by contractors who competed for the federal government project bid. The Department of Homeland Security set a date of October 26, 2017 for completion of eight prototypes for inspection leading to final approval, or not.
Concurrent with our border wall project is the federal budget and funding for the foot soldiers to maintain/enforce the wall’s integrity and arrest those who may defeat it: customs and border patrol agents. President Trump plans to add thousands of customs and border protection agents to the existing cadre of 22,000.
On October 19, 2017, the US Senate voted to leave intact (support) funding allocations for immigration enforcement and national security. After the 94-4 vote among the House and Senate, the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) rightly recognized support and security regarding funding stability to effectively perform their vocation with respect to national security.
2018 Senate Budget Resolution pic.twitter.com/Rg2hrFh2DZ
— Border Patrol Union – NBPC (@BPUnion) October 20, 2017
The significant number of agents it will take to adequately effectuate our country’s national security initiatives must not veer from course. As demonstrated in Hungary, law enforcement bodies at the ready is a deterrent in and of itself, supplemented by physical constructs to thwart barrier breaches.
As has been encountered under our outmoded southern border wall, tunneling remains a potential mole hole but, besides deeply trenching our super-tall wall to impede tunnel threats, bodily presence may be the proverbial plug if leaks pour through.
Despite border wall prototypes being deeply sunk into the substrate to quell tunnel attempts by drug cartels and human traffickers, aviation motility covers terrain from above and transmits its perspectives to technology centers where analysts dispatch ground agents to coordinates provided by unmanned “aerial vehicle” units.
Border Barriers
Since its inception in 2015, Hungary’s border security defense and government convictions to get it right postures an ideal model for America’s border wall project. Leading Hungary’s largely conservative political climate, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán revisited the border barrier’s integrity and decided to build additional defenses against migration.
Hungary’s stance is definitely legitimate and no more than what we or any other nation expects from those who seek a new nation to call home.
Beyond only the concertina wire clumps initially employed, the refortified Hungarian border barrier extends approximately 110 miles, has 13-foot-high parallel rows, and was constructed in exactly two months (July 13 thru September 14, 2017) by private contractors supplemented by a contingent of 900 Hungarian soldiers. The price tag totaled 30 billion forints (equivalent of $109 million USD).
Ironically, literally one week before the completion of the Hungarian border barrier, defense minister Csaba Hende resigned because the pace of the border project was too slow. Pokes, jabs and delays aside, we are at our border security’s infancy and certainly hope to either match or exceed the border security successes enjoyed by the Hungarian government and its citizens. After all, it is one of President Trump’s largest campaign tenets.
At its governmental podium, Hungary telegraphed its purpose for the border barriers: “The official and legal ways to come to Hungary and therefore to the European Union remain open. That’s all we ask from all migrants – that they should comply with international and European law.” Hungary’s stance is definitely legitimate and no more than what we or any other nation expects from those who seek a new nation to call home. Also, whereas Hungary contends with only the Syrian crisis relatively recently, we have long endured droves of illegal border crossings where our soil meets Mexico’s.
In September 2017, Prime Minister Orbán announced completion of bolstered border barriers and requested the European Commission to pay for half the costs. Much like Mexico flipped a bird at President Trump, Orbán’s request was denied. Nevertheless, the Hungarian government touts effectiveness from its decision to build defenses around its sovereignty. Despite the impression we have not hammered-out border wall funding resources, it’s fair to say we are committed at this point.
One of the blessings we have pertinent to our national security and border protection is that, unlike Hungary, we are not entirely surrounded by land mass of seven other nations. We have oceans lapping ashore thus reducing immediate threat of border breaches. Indeed, we are still penetrable via maritime intrusion, but that is where our US Coast Guard comes in handy. And on our USCG fleet are fusion-based military/law enforcement specialists trained to preclude seafaring invaders.
Nevertheless, we have ample southern and northern land mass mileage to cover…and whatever prototype wall is chosen will likely exceed the fortifications of Hungary’s “spectacular” model.
For what may lack in the integrity of Hungary’s physical yet transparent border barrier fencing and technology is likely compensated by police and military presence. Although we patrol our borders by foot, automobile, horse, helicopter, airplane and drone while also overseeing activities via surveillance technology towers…there are admitted windows of opportunity for border crossers to seize the moments when armed bodies are not in sight.
Unlike Hungary, we are constituted against equipping our border wall with razor beds, shock and sizzle treatments, or any other measures deemed uncivil.
As the “big, beautiful wall” goes up, are we considering all resources and viable options?
Are we being realistic about our border wall plans?
