The radical nationalist Jobbik party, which has advocated even tougher measures, supported Orban’s centre-right Fidesz party in the vote, which passed with 151 votes to 12 against and 27 abstentions in the 199-member Parliament.
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More than three-quarters of parliamentarians voted in favor of giving the military a role in border security, including the use of rubber bullets and tear gas.
The NGO, Helsinki Committee, is particularly concerned about these new provisions, noting that refugees should not be treated as enemies.
The decree also ordered six border provinces, in which a “state of crisis due to a massive immigration” is declared, to prepare for the “temporary closure of the border”.
The news comes as Orban defended the construction of a steel fence on the border with Serbia to stop refugees from crossing into the country, claiming that eastern European nations have been forced to protect themselves against the “brutal threat” of mass migration.
Hungarian troops will be able to use rubber bullets against refugees seeking to enter the country after lawmakers passed a motion Monday, local media said.
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All in all, over 300,000 asylum seekers have crossed the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of the year, according to the United Nations , with the figures expected to reach over 850,000 people in 2016.
