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Route of Migrants Into Europe Shifts Toward Balkans

At play in Budapest. While crossings by water to Italy have been the main route to Europe for migrants from Africa and the Mideast, Hungary is quickly becoming a common destination.Credit...Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

BUDAPEST — The surge of migrants into Europe from war-ravaged and impoverished parts of the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa has shifted in recent months. Migrants are now pushing by land across the western Balkans, in numbers roughly equal to those entering the Continent through Italy.

Much of Europe is reeling from the flow of people seeking safety, jobs and a better life — but who have strained resources, heightened ethnic and religious tensions, and rewired politics in individual nations and throughout the Continent.

The new pathway is also causing a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in the Balkans and neighboring central Europes, bolstering nationalist parties and inspiring protests in many countries.

The economic crisis in Greece, the main landing point in Europe for migrants heading into the Balkans, could further impede efforts to control the flow by reducing political focus and money dedicated to securing the nation’s borders.

The shift in the migrant path became evident from January through June, when about 79,000 migrants crossed illegally into Greece from Turkey, according to Frontex, the European Union’s border watchdog agency. Some remained in Greece, but most continued north across Macedonia and Serbia into Hungary, which saw 67,000 illegal arrivals.

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In Budapest, a billboard mocks a government campaign that warns migrants to respect Hungarian laws and culture.Credit...Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

During the same half-year, the sea route from Libya to Italy, long the most popular path, also had about 67,000 illegal crossings.

Last year, the 170,000 migrants who tried to take the Mediterranean route to Italy outnumbered those entering through the western Balkans by nearly four to one. More sea crossings occur in warmer months, border officials said, making it likely that the traffic figures on the two routes will diverge by winter.

Hungarian officials said that as of Thursday, more than 81,000 migrants had crossed into their country in 2015. “If it continues at this pace, we are on track to reach the 150,000 mark this year,” said Peter Szijjarto, minister of foreign affairs and trade.

Migration officials said they were not sure exactly why the flow had shifted toward the Balkans. They speculate that reports of frequent drownings and harrowing boat crossings may have played a part. At the same time, European nations have made interdiction a more central policy, and Libya has become increasingly volatile and dangerous.

Syrians may also be gravitating to the land route through Greece because changes in visa laws in the Middle East have made it more difficult to pass through the region on the way to Libya and then Italy, said Ewa Moncure, a spokeswoman for Frontex. Iran, a country that had attracted many Afghan refugees, has also altered its visa rules, making it more difficult for refugees to remain there. And Bulgaria, the other European nation that migrants might cross by land into Europe, has also tightened its border controls.

“We hear the situation has changed in Bulgaria and Iran, making it more difficult to migrate there, and everyone knows Italy is full,” said Timea Kovacs, who represents the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the Hungarian border city of Szeged. “But we don’t know for sure.”

Migrants interviewed in recent days on both sides of the Hungarian border said they had chosen the Balkans route because it was less expensive and had been recommended by smugglers they paid to get them to Europe. The prices they had paid to reach the Hungarian border varied, depending on what level of service they purchased and how much the smugglers thought they could squeeze out of them, from $1,000 to more than $4,000 per person.

Most traveled from Turkey into Greece, either across its short land border or by boat. And the bulk of those continued through Macedonia and Serbia before encountering the Hungarian border, the main obstacle on their path to Western Europe.

About 19,000 migrants from a mix of countries crossed into Hungary in 2013, but the figure jumped to more than 43,000 in 2014 because of a mass evacuation from Kosovo, Mr. Szijjarto, the foreign minister, said. A multinational agreement allowed Hungary to turn Kosovars back to Serbia, and by mid-February that human stream had evaporated. But it was more than replaced by a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia, and other Middle Eastern and African zones of war or turmoil.

Resistance to the migrants, many of whom are Muslim, has been growing in even the most liberal European nations, spawning advances by right-wing parties in Denmark, France and Britain.

But nowhere has it been exploited the way it has been in Hungary, where the conservative government of Viktor Orban, whose popularity is sagging, has seized on concerns about immigration.

“The government campaign has been really powerful in taking what had been a nonissue in Hungary and turning it into a very big issue,” said Csaba Toth, director of strategy for the Republikon Institute, a political research group that has been critical of the government.

Government officials deny that anti-immigrant sentiment is rising in Hungary, or that they are attempting to stoke it.

“We have no bad experience with Muslims,” Mr. Szijjarto said. “There is no xenophobia in this country either. But we are not in a position to host tens of thousands of migrants.”

Right-wing groups have already staged protests in Budapest and elsewhere, and are promising to stage more outside government-run refugee camps and along the Serbian border.

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Zoltan Bolek, the president of the Hungarian Islamic Community, at a mosque in Budapest. “Until now, there has been little Islamophobia in Hungary,” he said. “So we are surprised at what is happening.”Credit...Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

For their part, the migrants say they want to pass through Hungary as quickly as possible on their way to Germany and other Western European countries that they have been told are more welcoming.

“Nobody wants to go to Hungary,” said a man who identified himself only as Mirivan, 27, an English literature student from Damascus, Syria, who hopes to earn a master’s degree somewhere in Western Europe. “No, sorry.”

In May, the Hungarian government mailed what it called a “national consultation” to millions of Hungarian voters, asking them, among other things, whether they are concerned about a link between the migrants and terrorism, and whether government money now going to migrants should instead be spent on Hungarian families.

Zoltan Kovacs, Mr. Orban’s international spokesman, said the early results showed a worried public.

“Over 80 percent favor tougher measures against the immigrants,” Mr. Kovacs said. “Of course, it is not a scientific survey. It is a political questionnaire, to consult with the voters. But still, 60 percent say they feel there is a link between migrants and terrorism. Obviously, there is a serious risk. It is just logical.”

The government also organized a nationwide billboard campaign of messages directed at the migrants — but written in Hungarian — warning them to abide by local laws, to respect Hungarian culture and not to try to take Hungarians’ jobs.

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Migrants Flood Greek Island of Lesbos

Thousands of migrants came ashore this summer on the Greek island of Lesbos, a popular tourist destination. Some of them had to walk more than 40 miles to get to the main port of Mytilene.

LESBOS - PARADISE LOST - SCRIPT OPEN - Music: SHOTS OF migrants walking Migrant: I have walked for two days. I walked 60 kilometers. Migrant Since 6am I arrive in this island, since then I have started walking until now. All day night through this forest alone with kids. ZOI: An explosion. We are a volcano now. Because can you imagine in this island every day to have every day two or three villages 1000 1500 1200. I don’t know. I try to find the answer, but I am so confused I lost my mind I cannot give any answer. The problem of migration in Greece is really big. The problem has been really acute in the islands this year. For example in the island of Lesbos, we have had already 7500 arrivals in the first 4 1/2 months of the year. Whereas last year the total number of arrivals in the island of lesbos was less than 5000. The increase is five or six times compared to what we experienced last year. The majority of people that arrive are from syria the second biggest group is afghani also we have people from pakistan, people from nigeria, all different nationalities. SLATE: EACH DAY, THE GREEK COAST GUARD PATROLS THE WATERS OFF LESBOS, WHICH LIES JUST SIX MILES FROM TURKEY. MIGRANTS ARRIVE ON SMALL BOATS, AFTER PAYING AROUND $1000 PER PERSON TO SMUGGLERS. SOMETIMES THEY ARE INTERCEPTED AND BROUGHT TO THE MAIN PORT IN MYTLINE. THE MAJORITY OF MIGRANTS LAND ON LESBOS’ NORTHEAST BEACHES, MOSTLY AT NIGHT. ZOI The make this with wood so when they see the coast guard the just open the hole to the boat. ERIK And they do that so the boat will sink and the coast guard will be forced to rescue them. ZOI Exactly. This is nothing what you see. Before one month, it was everything, like a mountain, all the life-jackets many boats. Italy is all the time in news. I didn’t hear about greece. Because people they don’t die? Of course they die, but not these numbers like italy The smugglers they dont use big boats like in italy from libya. They use these boats, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not dangerous. Why everybody look at Italy. Of course italy has a big problem, but they were organized. Here we are not organized. We cannot handle all this it is too heavy for us. SPIROS GALINOS Mayor of Mytilene At this particular moment, speaking metaphorically, we are being invaded. An invasion from oppressed people. An invasion of misery. And this fact has brought great turmoil. GEORGE PAPAGEORGIOU Owner, Hotel Blue Sea Our business is going down, about fifty percent down. Very dirty. No one washes. No water. No toilet. We have a big problem. Very big problem. SLATE Thousands arrive undetected by the coast guard on beaches like this one near the town of Molvinos. They then must reach the port in Mytilene, which is more than 40 miles away. To do so, they must walk. MIGRANT IMAD No help anything, no help police no taxi help. No help anything. I’m walking. How many children do you have? Three How ld are they? 9, 5, 3 years And you are walking 50 kilometers to get to? 50 kilometers. Migrant We are asked the police, we will provide the money. Arrange us a bus. Anything. Any travel transportation. We will pay you the money, the taxi. They say no you don’t have the document, you have to walk. TAXI driver We dont allow to take any illegal immigrant in the cab. Because it’s against the law. What happens if you get caught. If you get caught you going to the court, you paying fine, you maybe lose your license. SLATE THE GREEK POLICE SAY THE POLICY OF NOT PICKING UP MIGRANTS IS MEANT TO PROTECT THEM. Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, Ministry of the Interior Greece is not the final destination. greece we could say is a transit country and transit stop its the gateway to europe, but it’s not the final destination. Greece is not an appealing destination for these populations because of the general conditions, the austerity that we are going through. MIGRANTS: Mabe Holland. Holland or Germany. Germany because I want to study. Germany! I want to go to Germany to study that is my big ambition for the future. UPON ARRIVAL IN MYTILENE, REFUGEES ARE ASSIGNED TO CAMPS WHERE THEY STAY FOR DAYS OR WEEKS. Mohamman Two days ago, I slept in the street. Now I am in the camp. it’s a dirty camp. Food not good. Water not clean. Bathrooms, same, not good. They don’t have a system here. No system. SLATE NEARLY EVERY DAY A SHIP LEAVES PORT FOR ATHENS OR THESSALONIKI CARRYING HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS. MANY REFUGEES ARE SINGLE MOTHERS OR UNACCOMPANIED MINORS SEEKING HELP IN NEWLY ESTABLISHED SHELTERS. SHELTER: This time we have 27 minors, the youngest 7 years old. The oldest is 17 years old. The children are mainly from afghanistan, from iran from iraq. We have also children from syria. 7 year old kid How did you arrive here? How did I come here? I came here by foot. My uncle and I came here from Turkey by an inflatable boat, but when the police saw us we burst the inflatable boat by a knife. We burst the boat and our baggage got soaked and the police sent us to the camp. That’s it. Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, Ministry of the Interior This is something that definitely will continue not only next year and the year after but something that we will be dealing with for the next 10, 20, 30 years. I don’t know how long.

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Thousands of migrants came ashore this summer on the Greek island of Lesbos, a popular tourist destination. Some of them had to walk more than 40 miles to get to the main port of Mytilene.CreditCredit...Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

Mr. Orban also said his government would follow the example of Bulgaria, which is building a fence along its border with Turkey, and construct a temporary 13-foot fence along the 108-mile Serbian border — an announcement that disappointed the Serbs, who are trying to join the European Union.

Construction was to begin last week on a test section, with hopes of completing the entire project by Nov. 30, the defense minister, Csaba Hende, said at a news conference in the border town of Morahalom.

Mr. Orban also said recently that the government intends to close its current refugee facilities in populated areas around the country — already criticized by migrant advocates as overcrowded and squalid — and transfer residents to new tented encampments in more remote areas.

In a move many advocates find ominous, Hungary has also passed legislation allowing it to turn away or deport migrants by declaring neighboring countries, such as Serbia, to be “safe.”

“The government attitude is that they came through safe countries, so they should have stayed there,” said Gabor Gyulai, refugee program coordinator for the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Budapest.

Hungary has always had a bit of a xenophobic streak, Mr. Gyulai said, though usually it is below the surface.

In an experiment in 2006, a Hungarian polling company asked what respondents thought about various ethnic groups, including an invented group, the “Pirez people.” Two-thirds said they did not like the Pirez people one bit.

“Oh yes, everybody hates the Pirez,” Gergely Kovacs, founder of a satirical political group in Budapest known as the Dog With Two Tails Party, said with a laugh.

Mr. Kovacs, a graphic designer, had been so upset with the billboard campaign that he appealed on the Internet for money to mount one of his own.

He raised $117,000, enough for 900 billboards, almost as many as the 1,000 erected by the government.

His billboards look very much like the blue and white official ones, but they have slogans like “We Apologize for Our Prime Minister.”

The anti-immigrant sentiment in Central Europe may be frightening to the new arrivals, but it has yet to deter the flow of migrants.

Still, it worries Zoltan Bolek, president of the Hungarian Islamic Community, one of two associations that represent the 10,000 Muslim residents in a country of 10 million.

“Until now, there has been little Islamophobia in Hungary,” he said. “So we are surprised at what is happening.”

Helene Bienvenu contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Migrants Widen Land Route to Europe. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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