The government in Hungary has passed a new set of laws that makes it illegal for non-government organizations to help illegal immigrants from seeking asylum. The bill is informally known as the “Stop Soros” plan and is part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s strategy against hardcore leftist billionaire George Soros.
Reports claim that Orban’s government has spent significant time and resources painting Soros up to be the bad guy due to his support of illegal immigration in Europe. Soros, who has a reputation for supplying millions of dollars to left-wing causes in America, was born in Hungary.
A line from the proposal states: “Those who provide financial means . . . or conduct this organisational activity on a regular basis will be punishable with up to one year in prison.” European news outlets, many of which feature a very left-wing bent, have interpreted the law to mean that a person who gives an illegal immigrant basic necessities like blankets, food, or water, could ultimately be arrested.
“We need an action plan to defend Hungary and this is the Stop Soros package of Bills,” the interior ministry commented, according to Euronews. One of the latest drafts of the legislation does not include compulsory security checks for NGOs that work closely with illegal migrants, nor does it propose a 25% tax on these organizations’ foreign funding.
Under the “Stop Soros” plan, Hungary’s constitution needs to be amended to prevent other countries in the European Union from sending asylum seekers to the nation, which essentially shoots down the EU’s quotas to distribute illegal immigrants. As expected, the legislation has received heavy criticism from around the world.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which provides asylum seekers with legal counsel, is demanding the law be dropped as it would usher in “an era of fear, unheard of since the fall of the communist dictatorship.” The United Nations Refugee Agency also slammed the bill, urging Hungary to toss out the proposals, saying it’s “seriously concerned” about the whole thing.
“Seeking asylum is a fundamental human right, it is not a crime . . . We are particularly concerned that the government is targeting those who, in a purely humanitarian role, help people who are seeking asylum,” Pascale Moreau, director of the UNHCR’s Europe Bureau, said.
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Mate Kocsis, Orban’s Fidesz party faction leader, stated during a session in parliament, “The citizens participating at the elections clearly and squarely stated their opinion on not wanting Hungary to become a migrant country. Unlike the previous proposal, the novelty in it is that it also uses criminal law instruments, which makes it much stricter than the previous proposal.”
Watch a report on the issue here:
Orban’s approach to immigration is similar to that of President Donald Trump in the U.S. Part of his strategy has included sealing off the country’s borders with fences to keep illegal immigrants from coming inside. Orban’s strategy has left him out of the good graces of the European Union who sends billions of euros to Hungary every year.
George Soros himself weighed in on the situation, saying, “The whole of Europe has been disrupted by the refugee crisis. Unscrupulous leaders have exploited it even in countries that have accepted hardly any refugees.” He then added, “In Hungary, Victor Orban based his re-election campaign on falsely accusing me of planning to flood Europe, Hungary included, with Muslim refugees.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video