According to Hende, Hungary’s fence erection will employ some 900 people.
Origo cited Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pinter saying that, while the fence was temporary, it was the only emergency solution to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants, adding that it is intended to control unauthorized entry and combat smuggling and human trafficking.
"The refugees are protected, but illegal immigrants are not allowed to pass," Pinter said.
In early July, the United Nations' refugee agency (UNCHR) condemned Budapest’s choice of border management as a threat to refugee rights, including the right to seek asylum.
According to UNCHR statistics, Hungary received a record 61,000 asylum applications in 2015. Some 80 percent of asylum applicants were fleeing violence in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Eurostat data, 22,800 applicants were from Kosovo.
