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Tags: joe biden | hungary | migration | visa waivers

Biden Targets Hungary With New Visa Requirements

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President Joe Biden (Getty Images)

By    |   Tuesday, 08 August 2023 11:45 AM EDT

The Biden administration's decision to limit visa waivers for Hungarians is more about punishing Budapest for its stance on gender ideology and transgender rights than due to security concerns about migration, several conservative groups are claiming.

Last week the U.S. announced a massive change to the American Visa Waiver Program that only affects certain Hungarian passport holders.

Citing security concerns regarding passports Hungary issued beginning in 2011 until 2020, the U.S. opted to drastically limit Hungary's participation in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization program. Signing up for an ESTA allows citizens from 40 participating countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days.

Now, ESTA validity for Hungarian passport holders will be reduced from two years to one, and an ESTA will only be valid for one visit.

Hungary's Interior Ministry responded to the new restrictions with a statement that accused the U.S. of demanding the personal data of ethnic Hungarians abroad with dual citizenship and saying that Hungary's government was unwilling to provide that information, to protect those citizens' security.

"This is why President Joe Biden's administration is now taking revenge on Hungarians," the statement said.

Conservative groups here in the U.S. are not pleased by the Biden administration's targeting of Hungary, a long-time NATO ally.

"Joe Biden and his administration seek to punish Hungary by using every diplomatic tool to persecute them for defending their borders their families and their God given rights," Matt Schlapp, chairman of CPAC, told Newsmax.

Schlapp said Hungary is being singled out by the Biden administration because it "stands out as a courageous country of less than 10 million people whose Prime Minister is willing to tell the globalists that Hungarians will decide what happens in Hungary."

The Budapest-based Center for Fundamental Rights, a conservative Hungarian research institute dealing with legal analysis, agreed that the move is entirely about punishing Hungary.

The Center for Fundamental Rights contends that the sudden policy shift has to do with Hungary's opposition to a progressive agenda.

The Biden administration has already terminated a tax treaty between the U.S. and Hungary.

"The Biden administration's sanctions against Hungary seem to be driven by a complex interplay of political ideologies, strategic disparities, and probable electoral interference," said Eszter Párkányi, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights.

She notes the latest actions taken by the Biden administration "appear to reflect a retaliatory stance, possibly driven by underlying animosities."

The U.S. contends that nearly one million foreigners were granted Hungarian passports over the span of nine years without being sufficiently vetted.

A senior U.S. government official told The Associated Press that the decision to make the change came after years of attempts by the U.S. to work with Budapest to resolve the concerns.

Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, anyone claiming to have Hungarian ancestry was eligible for a simplified naturalization procedure, even if they didn't live or intend to live in Hungary.

The U.S. official said that this led to Hungarian passports being issued to people who the U.S. said may pose a security threat.

However, the Hungarians note that other EU countries, like Ireland, offer passports and citizenship based on ancestry and have suffered no restrictions from the U.S.

Hungarian sources also note that after close to a decade of its expanded passport program, there has been no evidence of security threats from such holders.

The recent visa changes came after the U.S. had already downgraded Hungary as a provisional member of the waiver program due to what it said were security concerns.

Párkányi called it hypocritical for the Biden administration to bring up security concerns considering it is "hesitant to address the issues of illegal migration and the drug cartels at the southern U.S. border."

"The pretext put forth by the left-wing administration, claiming that Hungarians pose a security concern, is baseless and contradicted by the evidence," Párkányi said.

She points out that individuals seeking citizenship under the law in question are subject to "stringent criteria."

"The law stipulates that only people with no criminal record may become Hungarian citizens in this way and that they must not in any way harm or endanger Hungary's public or national security," she said.

She also said the "pro-LGBTQ+ stance adopted by" David Pressman, the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, has "further strained relations."

Under Orbán's government, Budapest embraces a Christian-conservative agenda. In 2021, the government banned the "display and promotion of homosexuality" in books and films accessible by youth.

Last month, Pressman participated in a Budapest Pride march that protested the government's stance on LGBTQ+ issues.

Párkányi notes that the Biden administration and Hungarian "political thinking diverges on strategic issues, encompassing topics such as war, migration, gender, and preserving the traditional family unit."

She argues that while the perspectives of the "American left seem inclined towards supporting war, dismissing dangers posed by illegal migration, and prioritizing gender issues over child protection and family values," Hungary's stance "opposes war, challenges gender agendas, and takes a resolute stand against unregulated migration."

"They undermine Hungarian-American relations and set an unfavorable precedent, favoring escalation over peaceful resolutions to political disagreements," Párkányi said.

Marisa Herman

Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
The Biden administration’s decision to limit visa waivers for Hungarians is more about punishing Budapest for its stance on gender ideology and transgender rights than due to security concerns about migration, several conservative groups are claiming.
joe biden, hungary, migration, visa waivers
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2023-45-08
Tuesday, 08 August 2023 11:45 AM
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