Non-Compliance to Entail Immediate Expulsion from Hungary

"Non-Hungarian nationals who fail to cooperate with the authorities could face immediate expulsion," Zoltan Lomnici Jr, legal advisor at Szazadveg Foundation, told Magyar Nemzet, speaking about the government's drafting of a new bill and overhaul of the immigration regulations currently in force. The constitutional lawyer expects that Brussels will formulate a critical and biased position, saying that the content and main direction of the Hungarian legislation is on the wrong track.

No returning of people to torture

The Hungarian practice is in line with international law if those expelled are returned to their home country or to a country which is obliged to readmit them, complying with the non-refoulement principle, the expert explained.

No one shall be expelled or extradited to a state where he or she would be in danger of being subjected to a death penalty, torture or other inhuman treatment or punishment,

he said, adding that if a non-EU national holds a valid residence permit or an equivalent permit issued by another EU country, the person must return to that country immediately if expelled.

Brussels is expected to raise its legislative objections as a matter of priority, and the European Commission will certainly draw on its own practice and that of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which have mostly been extremely liberal so far, Zoltan Lomniczi Jr pointed out. The expert predicts that Brussels will formulate a critical and biased position, saying that the content and main direction of the Hungarian legislation is on the wrong track. However, he noted, a growing number of people in Brussels are now saying that the new regulations on migration should put the focus on deportation.

Cover photo: Illegal immigrants heading to Europe arrive at the port of Lampedusa, southern Italy, on September 18, 2023 (Photo: MTI/EPA/ANSA/Ciro Fusco)