“The United States and Hungary have a strong security partnership, and that commitment is reflected in the actions that Hungary has taken to meet the security standards of the Visa Waiver Program,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. She added:
Like President Trump, Prime Minister Orbán is dedicated to keeping his borders secure and vetting who comes into his country. When nations secure their borders, they’re making the entire world a safer place – and they should be rewarded for doing so. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem’s efforts, DHS is reinstituting integrity into our immigration system.
The grant by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem reverses the anti-Hungarian policy set in 2021 by President Joe Biden’s border chief, Ali Mayorkas.
Mayorkas’ anti-Hungarian policy was driven by progressives’ hatred towards Hungary’s pro-citizen policy of excluding Muslim migrants.
In retaliation for Hungary’s pro-citizen policy, Mayorkas in 2021 narrowed Hungarian travellers’ use of the convenient, no-visa Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). In 2023, he further tightened their access to ESTA.
The Noem statement explained her decision to reverse Mayorkas’ policy:
Now that the government of Hungary has taken action requested by the U.S. government to address security vulnerabilities, the restrictions imposed by the previous administration have been lifted, and Hungarian citizens now have expanded access to travel between Hungary and the United States … Only nations with the highest standards of security are granted visa-free access to the United States.
While Mayorkas punished law-abiding Hungarian citizens, he also granted easy travel to people from chaotic Romania, which is located on Hungary’s southern border.
The favor in January 2025 was granted, in part, as a favor to elites in Romania’s government despite predictions that criminals would use the easy access. The Mayorkas’ giveaway to Romania was followed by a mini crime wave by Romanian travellers, as Breitbart News reported on August 1:
Clara Badanac, a 55-year-old illegal alien from Romania, was arrested by ICE agents in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Sources told Breitbart News that Badanac is a member of the Romanian Theft Group, an organized crime syndicate known for scamming Americans out of money. Badanac remains in ICE custody pending deportation from the United States.
In addition to Badanac’s arrest, ICE officials also announced a string of arrests across the sanctuary state of Massachusetts of illegal alien Romanian women — all involved in organized burglaries and thefts targeting Americans.
…
“This burglary ring will no longer be able to victimize American citizens,” the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “These criminal illegal aliens should never have been allowed to walk free on Massachusetts streets to steal from Americans — and under President Trump and Secretary Noem, they won’t.”
In May, Trump and his deputies ended the Mayorkas giveaway to Romania.
Breitbart News
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