Hungary to make it illegal to help asylum seekers
People aiding undocumented migrants may face prison sentences or fines
The government of Hungary is planning to introduce controversial laws that would make helping illegal immigrants a criminal offence.
Posted on the parliament’s website yesterday, the proposed legislation is part of what has been dubbed the “Stop Soros” Bill - ultra-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s campaign against Hungarian-born US financier George Soros, who is known for funding liberal causes.
The text of the legislation reads: “Those who provide financial means... or conduct this organisational activity [for illegal immigration] on a regular basis will be punishable with up to one year in prison.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The new laws could make it illegal to print leaflets with information for asylum seekers, and to offer them food or legal advice, the BBC reports.
Orban also wants to amend the Hungarian Constitution to state that an “alien population” could not be settled in Hungary and that foreign citizens could live in Hungary only if permitted by the national authorities, undermining EU quotas to distribute migrants around Europe.
Both proposals were pledged by Orban’s Fidesz party before the country’s general elections last month, in which the controversial PM secured a third consecutive term - his fourth overall - with a two-thirds majority. This means bills and amendments can be passed “without hitches”, says The Guardian.
The proposed legislation is the latest move in the Hungarian government’s crackdown on illegal immigration, which Orban claims is “eroding European stability” and risks “undermining Hungary’s Christian culture”, Reuters reports.
The plan has met with widespread criticism, says The Guardian. “Rights activists have been worried about the Bill because of the potential for any NGOs working to give legal or other aid to migrants arriving at Hungary’s borders to fall under the definition of supporting illegal migration,” says the newspaper. Reuters adds that the Bill was “immediately condemned by The UN Refugee Agency”.
Although more than one million, mainly Muslim, migrants have entered the EU since 2015, few have sought to settle in Hungary. Official data shows that in 2017, a total of 1,291 migrants obtained some form of international protection in the country, the news agency says.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published