The U.S. Has the Right to Set Its Own Border Policy, Says Hungarian Prime Minister

Hungary
ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
Jack Montgomery

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed surprise at the “neurotic reactions” of European Union (EU) politicians to President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on ‘Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals’, noting that “it isn’t Europe’s business”.

“The United States is not a member of the European Union; it is an independent state and as such has the right to determine its own border, foreign and migration policies,” reads a statement on the Hungarian government’s official website.

“[T]his is something the United States has a right to do,” the Fidez leader emphasised. “It makes absolutely no difference what we think about this … We should be concentrating on ourselves and should be dealing with our own problems instead of criticising the United States.”

The order, which has been described inaccurately as a “Muslim ban” by much of the European media, was intended to temporarily restrict the entry of asylum seekers and nationals of seven states identified as “countries of concern” by the Obama administration to the U.S. It has been heavily criticised by EU leaders such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, who invited migrants into Europe in unlimited numbers in 2015.

However, leaders from Central and Eastern Europe, including Mr. Orbán and Czech President Miloš Zeman, have tended to be more supportive.

So have some figures from the Muslim world, such as Dubai head of security Dhahi Khalfan:

“We completely support Trump in his ban on entry to those who may cause a breach in America’s security”, wrote the police chief, whose native United Arab Emirates is relatively stable and therefore not subject to the order. “Previous US administrations have embraced all the wanted men of the Arab world and those classified as terrorists. Trump, what you’re doing is right.”

British commentators such as Nigel Farage, the LBC host and former UKIP leader, have accused EU politicians and media outlets of “rank hypocrisy” over their opposition to the travel order. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was singled out for particular criticism after inviting diplomats from eleven countries which ban Israeli passport-holders to hear him denounce Donald Trump’s travel restrictions.

The travel ban is not currently in operation, having been controversially suspended by a Seattle judge.

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