Overview

• Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced a significant deployment of police and armed forces along the Slovak-Hungarian border in response to a surge in migration; however, the specifics of the deployment have not yet been detailed.
• Slovakia has seen an 11-fold increase in migrant registrations this year, reaching nearly 40,000 by October 1; Fico asserts that illegal migration must be controlled to prevent potential 'terrorist' affiliated individuals from entering Slovakia.
• This move follows the recent reintroduction of border controls by Slovakia's neighbours, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland, aimed at mitigating migrant traffic.
• Fico's new government, formed under his leftist Smer or 'Direction' party, was sworn in last Wednesday; while the party's policy program has not yet been released, it is suggested that it will adopt a tough stance on migration.
• The renewed control of the 407-mile border with Hungary is seen as the government's primary strategic approach to migration; the measure comes amidst concerns of a new wave of migrants due to escalating global conflicts such as the war between Israel and Hamas