Hungary shuts key refugee route amid widening clampdowns across Europe
- 9 years ago
A main gateway to central Europe slammed shut Tuesday as Hungary closed its border to refugees, finishing work on a 100-mile fence spooled with razor wire and arresting dozens of desperate migrants who tried to sneak across.
Tens of thousands of men, women and children - many from war-wracked Syria and Iraq - have been racing to reach Western Europe before their path is blocked by tighter border controls and a dramatic roll back of the European Union policies of open movement across frontiers.
At Vienna's central station, where many were stranded, crowds awaited word whether canceled buses and trains would again be moving toward Germany, whose generous social programs and giant economy is the draw for many asylum seekers.
Restrictions took hold across Europe from west to east even as E.U. leaders bicker over a German-led plan to resettle up to 160,000 refugees across 22 member countries.
Tens of thousands of men, women and children - many from war-wracked Syria and Iraq - have been racing to reach Western Europe before their path is blocked by tighter border controls and a dramatic roll back of the European Union policies of open movement across frontiers.
At Vienna's central station, where many were stranded, crowds awaited word whether canceled buses and trains would again be moving toward Germany, whose generous social programs and giant economy is the draw for many asylum seekers.
Restrictions took hold across Europe from west to east even as E.U. leaders bicker over a German-led plan to resettle up to 160,000 refugees across 22 member countries.