Most are fleeing war and tyranny in Syria and Afghanistan, with other sizeable groups from Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The cheapest route to Europe is from Turkey through the Balkans.Hungary is the first European Union (EU) state that migrants reach which is part of the passport-free Schengen scheme, hence it has become the second largest recipient of asylum seekers per capita after Sweden with the government logging over 110,000 asylum applications since the beginning of 2015.Related: What We Witnessed at a French Migrant Camp Allegedly Controlled by People Smugglers'Now we have reached the point of no return, my friend.'
A group of Syrians illegally cross the Hungarian-Serbian border at night. Photo by Hugo Aymar
Earlier in the day outside the Serbian border town of Subotica, Hassan, a printer from Baghdad and his friend Abbas sit under the shade of a tree, perspiring in the 104 degree Fahrenheit (45 degree Celsius) heat.They are temporarily camped in the scrubland area outside an abandoned brick factory that has become an improvised resting point with charities visiting to donate food and water and conduct medical check-ups. A group of 10 Pakistani men appear from a field of crops, asking VICE News the direction to Hungary, before walking off into the distance.Is the Hungarian government seriously proposing building borders between EU states?
At the abandoned brick factory where migrants stay before crossing the border. Photo by Hugo Aymar
At the abandoned brick factory where migrants stay before crossing the border. Photo by Hugo Aymar
On Saturday morning, more than 200 migrants had been apprehended in the fields of Assothalom in the space of one hour, awaiting transportation to immigration camps across Hungary for asylum processing.Ali, a wedding photographer from northern Afghanistan trying to reach Finland, walked all night from Serbia to Hungary. He told VICE News: "We should be one land, no border. Refugees will break the wall."The fence abruptly stops here, with miles of open land surrounding it, affording anyone the possibility to simply walk around the edge.
The Hungarian government has recently begun construction of a 109-mile-long barrier to guard against irregular immigration along its border with Serbia. Photo by Hugo Aymar
Migrants detained after crossing the border. They will be transported to an immigration centre elsewhere in the country to process their asylum claims and get their fingerprints taken. Photo by Hugo Aymar