Austria’s new government gets tough on borders, creates border protection unit.
Voice of Europe, “Austria’s new government gets tough on borders, creates border protection unit”, 19 Jan 2018:
Austria doesn’t want a repeat of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants illegally entered the country, according to Interior Minister, Herbert Kickl. The Minister, a member of Austria’s Freedom Party, said his country is now setting up a border protection unit.
The unit will be “capable of taking over border management within hours”. He added that “It is a standby police troop that if need be can secure a border crossing point and carry out identity checks. Just waving people through won’t happen again.”
Kickl’s Freedom Party entered the government in coalition with the People’s Party since they were the second largest party at the end of the 2017 election. His party leader, Heinz Christian Strache, earlier said that Austria could cooperate with countries like Hungary and Poland on immigration.
