OPINION: Why I Couldn’t Live in Hungary

Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s dictatorial rule, Hungary has become a hybrid regime. Although there are some fair and free aspects to how citizens participate in civil society, there has been an increase in restrictions, censorship of media outlets, and unfair treatment of immigrants. For these reasons, I could not live in Hungary.
Similar to President Trump’s attempted media crackdown, since his first term began in 2010 Orbán has significantly censored and shut down many media outlets that criticize the government. Although the Hungarian constitution protects the freedom of the press, Orbán’s political party, Fidesz, has significantly undermined this liberty. At the national, regional, and local levels, the media is controlled by a single pro-government outlet. The censorship of opposition media and journalists who critique the government leaves citizens ill-informed about how their government operates and influences their decision-making to sway in a certain direction. In doing this, the Hungarian government has completely isolated rural Hungary from differing perspectives and opinions than pro-government viewpoints. Though Budapest is slightly better, as it is a major city, their media is still heavily censored. I learn about different perspectives in the U.S. to be better informed not only about my political beliefs but also about my everyday life. Living in a country that controls that to such a high degree would be detrimental to my freedom of thought.
Orbán has also used the media to spew xenophobic narratives, targeted towards immigrants, to gain power within Hungary; an indistinguishable similarity to Trump’s narratives towards immigrants. Immigrants are what make America, America. Living in a country, such as the U.S., which does not actively enable immigrants and people seeking asylum, is a place where I struggle to feel at home. Especially when said place is a country that has previously been distinguished as a country of refuge for any persons seeking haven. This contradiction creates a space where I worry for the newcomers who want a better life and are unable to acquire that desired life. Orbán also shares similarities with how Trump handles detained immigrants, repeatedly violating the rights of refugees and asylum seekers from Serbia and Ukraine by refusing to house them and unlawfully detaining them. People have been caged, deprived of water and food, and denied citizenship. Orbán’s policies regarding immigrants and asylum seekers are frequently changed, and force has been used to remove Serbians from Hungary. This abuse of human life deeply troubles me, and I could not live in a country where such atrocities occur and little to no pushback is made toward government policy concerning immigration.