An American diplomatic official has ignored a request from a Hungarian mayor to observe U.S. border security in an effort to better secure Hungarian border towns.
Ásotthalom Mayor László Toroczkai — who first came up with the idea for the border fence in Hungary — wrote to U.S. Ambassador Colleen Bell after she visited the southern border of Hungary. Bell had visited in order to understand the problem of illegal immigrants streaming across that border from Serbia.
“During your stay, you surveyed the border barrier and the transit zone of Röszke, where the Hungarian authorities introduced you to their procedures and where you inquired about the situation of the migrants,” Toroczkai wrote in a letter obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation dated Aug. 1.
“I am sorry to hear that you were not interested in the situation of the law-abiding Hungarian citizens who live close to the border,” he added. “Illegal migration causes problems not only for the criminal economic migrants and the unidentifiable asylum seekers arriving from war zones, but also for the law-abiding Hungarian people.”
Toroczkai extended a personal invitation to Bell to visit Ásotthalom and look into the problems caused by illegal immigration. In exchange, Toroczkai hoped for a reciprocal invite to survey the U.S.-Mexico border to share “our experiences.”
“I therefore ask you to cooperate with our administration and assist us in visiting the U.S.-Mexico border to see — with the presence of the American authorities — the border protection system of the United States of America,” he said. “I would furthermore like to meet with the Mayor of a town close to the US-Mexico border, with a similar population to Ásotthalom’s, in order to exchange our experiences.”
Bell declined to respond to the letter.
The flood of migrants crossing into Hungary has slowed to a trickle since the erection of a fence along the border with Serbia in 2015 — Toroczkai’s idea. Hungary in the recent past functioned as a central entry point for illegals trying to make it to the Schengen zone, where borders essentially disappear. That is no longer the case. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary took a firm stance against unfettered illegal migration.
Hungary now is offering to send police over Serbia’s border with Macedonia and Bulgaria to cut off the source of migrants attempting to sneak through the Balkans.
Toroczkai’s home in Ásotthalom is almost right on the border. He can actually see the fence from his house.
Before President Barack Obama appointed Colleen to the position of ambassador, she worked as a soap opera television producer and lived in Los Angeles. She is not Hungarian. Republican Sen. John McCain drew attention to her complete dearth of diplomatic experience during her Senate confirmation hearing, when she could barely answer the question: “What are our strategic interests in Hungary?”
“Our strategic interests are to work collaboratively as NATO allies, to work to promote and protect, um, the security both – for both countries, and for – and for the world, to continue working together on the cause of human rights, um, around the world, um, to build that side of our relationship, um, while also maintaining and pursuing some difficult conversations that might be necessary in the coming years,” Bell said, stumbling through a response.
“Great answer,” McCain replied in a sarcastic tone.
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