Operation Fox

“Foxes are giving the trafficking mafia a hard time”

Police officers from Hungary and Austria work closely together in the joint border area as part of Operation Fox.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

Operation Fox is crowned with success. The "Operation Fox" against illegal refugee movements is being extended to Eastern Europe. The operational concept in the border region against highly organized smuggling gangs has proven its worth and is being implemented in other regions. 

The "foxes" are always on the hunt. The unscrupulous billion-dollar business of illegal migration is ice-cold profit-oriented. However, the masterminds are being heavily manipulated by Operation Fox. The red-white-red "Aktion scharf" was launched by the Ministry of the Interior in December 2022. 40 police officers have been deployed to prevent criminally organized border crossings in cooperation with their Hungarian colleagues. The bilateral initiative, which specifically targets smuggling gangs, has been on the road to success for months.

In the past, large groups of refugees were guided from Hungary to Austria almost every two hours by professional smugglers or transported in vans. For the past year and a half, the gangs have been switching to other routes.

Fazit der Fahner

Smugglers are always looking for new routes
The fact that the number of apprehensions in Burgenland has remained at a low level for more than a year is due in part to the police operation between Hungary and Serbia. At the same time, Operation Fox in the Austro-Hungarian border region deterred smugglers - they had already taken a detour via Slovakia in 2023 to avoid being caught. According to the investigators' records, the main flows of refugees were then routed via Italy and Croatia in the first half of 2024.

Refugees, hidden under a truckload of car tires, tracked down during a check: the "foxes" are taking targeted action against illegal transports along the most important routes.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

"Smugglers are constantly looking for new strategies and opportunities. The next change is already on the horizon for the heavily frequented transport routes," announces an insider. In any case, the situation along the Balkan route is calm. "The police in Serbia are still doing their job, but are no longer as busy as they were months ago," says a local contact officer. The reason for this is the political situation in Syria. As reported, many Syrians are not migrating from the reception camps in Turkey to the EU, but are returning to their home country.

Drones are increasingly being used by the Fox unit in Hungary in the fight against people smugglers.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

 Romania takes successful model as an example
According to reports from police circles, Romania is enthusiastic about Operation Fox. The establishment of a joint task force on the border with Hungary is in full swing. "We must consistently continue the fight against people smuggling," declared Interior Minister Gerhard Karner exactly one year ago at a local inspection in Andau with Provincial Police Director Martin Huber and Federal Police Chief Michael Takacs. This tone continues within the EU.