Refugee Arrests Soar as Hungary Clamps Down on Border Controls

— -- The first string of refugees have been arrested on the Hungarian border since new protection orders were put in place to attempt to stem the flow of refugees.

Three men appeared to be the first arrested in Roszke, southern Hungary, in the early hours of Tuesday after they were seen illegally crossing from Serbia.

The identities of the men have not been released but they are believed to be Syrian.

That number continued to increase throughout the day, with Hungarian officials confirming to the Associated Press that they detained a total of 155 people attempting to enter the country illegally.

Gyorgy Bakondi, homeland security adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told the AP that the detainees crossed the border by damaging the fence and will be charged with committing offenses under the new laws regarding border restrictions.

The arrests come as a state of emergency was declared in two counties in Hungary, meaning that the government will deploy military forces to support the police in the counties that share a border with Serbia.

Under such a declaration, soldiers are authorized to use rubber bullets, tear gas and dogs to apprehend refugees who are attempting to enter illegally. They are also permitted to use deadly force if they feel their lives are threatened.

Additional fences were put up Monday afternoon leading up to the midnight implementation of the new rules. Razor wire lined the tops of the fences and lines of police officers were present to allow the construction to occur uninterrupted.

There are still legal crossings, and people can apply once they reach Hungary but even if they make it across to be processed, they still face deportation to Serbia because Hungarian officials view Serbia as a safe country. Serbia, however, has warned they may not accept them either.