Hungary Moves to Allow Deportation of Dual Citizens

Fidesz, Hungary's right-wing ruling party, has announced constitutional changes that would allow for the deportation of dual citizens. The party intends to amend the Fundamental Law to enable the expulsion of individuals holding dual citizenship if their actions are deemed a threat to Hungary’s sovereignty.

Máté Kocsis, the leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, shared a social media post outlining the planned amendments, which he claims are modeled after American legal principles. "A Hungarian citizen who also holds the citizenship of another state may be expelled from the territory of Hungary under conditions specified by law if his or her activities endanger the national sovereignty, public order, territorial integrity, or security of Hungary," Kocsis stated.

The introduction of this new legislation is expected in the spring. Kocsis had previously hinted at the government's intent to introduce stricter laws to safeguard national sovereignty. He cautioned the public that the forthcoming legislation would be severe. "Terribly painful, surprising, astonishing, brutal legislation is coming. Everyone should mentally prepare for this," he warned.

His statement has garnered significant reactions online, with over 4,500 responses and more than 1,500 comments. Among those commenting was Péter Márki-Zay, mayor of Hódmezővásárhely and former opposition candidate for prime minister. Márki-Zay questioned the rationale behind the proposed measures, stating, "Exactly who or whom was the poet thinking of when he fears for our country from Hungarians with dual citizenship? It is not true of any of the Putin agents and traitorous, migrant-immigrating, thieving scoundrels I know."

Hungarian media reports indicate that Kocsis also aims to introduce another amendment to the Basic Law, seeking to ban Pride parades. According to these reports, Kocsis argues that such events remain unrestricted even in countries less developed than Hungary.

The proposed amendments follow a broader pattern of tightening regulations in Hungary. In September 2024, the government introduced new restrictions on foreign workers. These include a requirement to demonstrate that no local workers are available to fill a position before foreign workers with relevant experience can be hired. Additionally, individuals who previously worked in Hungary and were fined for labor violations will face automatic rejection of their applications. Furthermore, guest workers who lose their jobs will have only six days to leave the country, a notably brief timeframe.

By fLEXI tEAM