[JURIST] Hungary’s ruling party declared [press release, in Hungarian] Friday that the country must pass legislation to tighten the border and prevent migrants from abusing the EU’s political asylum laws. Antal Rogan, leader of the Fidesz party [party website, in Hungarian] parliamentary group, noted that in January alone, around 14,000 migrants applied for political asylum. Some migrants are fleeing war-torn Serbia and Iraq, but the majority are Kosovo Albanians, leaving their homes for greater economic fortune in the EU. Once inside Hungary, the migrants are within the EU’s Schengen zone [materials], where they do not need a passport in order to travel between nations. Rogan has proposed a national consultation to decide the issue of expelling undocumented immigrants.

Immigration reform has been an area of major political concern in a number of countries across the globe. On Thursday the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants said the EU must accept [JURIST report] that migrants will continue to enter the EU by any means possible, and therefore must offer incentives for migrants to use official channels of entrance. UK Prime Minister David Cameron raised the possibility in November of the UK leaving the EU [JURIST report] if other member state leaders block plans to restrict access to welfare payments for migrants. Cameron outlined proposed welfare reform that would block European migrants to the UK from receiving welfare payments or state housing until they have been UK residents for four years. Also in November US President Barrack Obama announced executive action [JURIST report] on immigration that would allow 4.7 million undocumented immigrants to stay in the US. In October the UN Special Rapporteur urged [JURIST report] British authorities to reconsider their decision not to support search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. In September the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered [JURIST report] a detention center used to detain African migrants who had crossed illegally and were captured in the Negev Desert to close.