In March 2020, I was recalled from Hungary due to the pandemic. Leaving behind the friends I had made among the refugee community at Kalunba was difficult. The Covid-19 situation is not improving, and I will need to be patient before we are reunited again in Budapest.
In an earlier blog, I shared stories of several people I met at Kalunba and the experiences of leaving their home countries. The journey of years on the road, seeking a safe place with the possibility of a permanent solution. The stories are unimaginable.
Let me explain the Hungarian process for refugees.
Refugees have described life at the Hungary-Serbian border detention center, known as the
Transit Zones of Röszke and Tompa. These remote locations used to be the only place to apply for asylum in Hungary. In the center, families live in shipping containers surrounded by high razor wire fences, for the entire time of their asylum procedures. Samajan and his family are from Afghanistan, and he described the sweltering summer heat in the container. There were windows but no screens, so when they opened the window, they were bitten by bugs! In winter it was as cold as Canada. Those who have a critical health condition are blindfolded and escorted to a medical centre by up to 20 armed guards. This is standard protocol whenever one leaves the detention center, as heard from personal experiences, and United Nation (UN) reports. They lived as prisoners without charge, yet they consider themselves lucky to have been allowed to live there. Many families were deported back without notice or reason. The fortunate families whose asylum-claims were accepted, arrive at the Kalunba Social Services centre in Budapest, where I work.
Photo by UNHCR
It was heartbreaking to hear the stories of families that had endured this process, hoping for a safer future, only to be returned to their nightmare. On May 14, the detention center was closed. The European Union (EU) Supreme Court deemed the detention center unlawful and ordered it to be shut down. However, recently the Hungarian government completed the construction of a 10 km-long underground barrier along the Serbian border to keep stricter control after the center’s closure.
Hungary has the most explicit anti-immigrant attitudes among the EU countries. According to the Hungarian news, recent research reported that 57% of Hungarians do not want to receive immigrants, especially refugees, migrants and asylum seekers into their country. This is one of the most-strict policies, against European Union rules, towards those seeking refugee status in their country. Running a Detention Centre at the Hungary-Serbian border is one example of the country’s violation of EU rules. The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, “The long-term detention of children and other vulnerable people in those transit zones was completely unacceptable and inhuman”.
As PCC mission staff working at the Kalunba center, I met families who arrived early in 2020. When refugees are granted a temporary residence permit, the Kalunba center is notified and sent to receive the family. They arrive at the center where they will be set up with an apartment, food, clothing, and all basic starter necessities. Help and training are also provided to those looking for work. Arriving at the center is not the end of their struggles. In fact, it is the beginning of a new life in a foreign country with a new language, new culture, and new hardships. Government assistance is limited, so the Kalunba center relies heavily on donations to help fill the need. Since March 2020, the center provides the same level of service while working with half the staff. And although the pandemic has affected us all, it is in these times that the vulnerable most need help. I thank God for the possibility of serving refugee friends whether in person or through online communications in a time like this.
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
Matthew 25:35
