Hungary to make it illegal to help asylum seekers

People aiding undocumented migrants may
face prison sentences or fines

One-Minute Read

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.”

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.