Orbán Was Right: Hungary Summit Defends Border Fence Policy

A decade after Hungary was denounced for building a border fence, leaders at a summit in the southern city of Szeged declared history had proved Viktor Orbán right—pointing to crime, terrorism, and unrest in Western Europe as the price of ignoring his warnings.

The “MCC-MRI Summit on the 10th Anniversary of the European Migration Crisis,” organised by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and the Migration Research Institute (MRI), brought together academics, politicians, church leaders, and security experts from across Europe.

The location was symbolic: Szeged lies near the Serbian border, where conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government erected a steel fence, closing the door to mass immigration through military force and legal reforms.

Measures that once drew scorn from Brussels and other European capitals are now cited by many as a model.

Tamás Dezső, Director General of the MRI, recalled that Hungary had swiftly realised the 2015 influx was not primarily a refugee crisis. “At the beginning, only 42% of migrants crossing into Hungary—people from Syria and Iraq—could be considered genuine refugees. Most of the migrants were young men. Even people from Cuba appeared at our border,” he said.

Thanks to the border closure, we avoided the problems other countries face today: sprawling camps, terrorist attacks, pro-Hamas mass protests, violent crimes, terrorism.

Hungarian officials stressed that the state’s reaction was both legal and military. Zsolt Barthel-Rúzsa, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, noted:

Nearly 5,000 soldiers were mobilised. We built 180 kilometres of fence along the Serbian and Croatian borders. Hungary fulfilled its Schengen duty: uncontrolled entry into the EU was prevented.

Barna Pál Zsigmond, Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, accused Brussels of word games. “They speak of ‘irregular migration,’ not ‘illegal migration.’ Yet the Schengen Treaty is clear: outer members must protect borders. The fence still works, even if it is criticised.”

László Kiss-Rigó, Bishop of Szeged-Csanád, described how initial charity efforts sometimes backfired: “When we handed food packages to unaccompanied minors, they threw the food away shouting: ‘let the Christians pick up the rubbish.’”

The anniversary coincided with fresh disputes between Budapest and Brussels.

Miklós Szánthó, Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights think tank, pointed out that, on Tuesday, the European Parliament tabled a proposal demanding Hungary dismantle its border fence and threatening to withhold EU funds until asylum rules are relaxed. “Migration proved that Hungary was right all along,” he argued.

Western Europe now faces declining security, rising antisemitism, terrorism, no-go zones, and parallel societies. These are irreversible changes.

At our summit, Bishop László Kiss-Rigó recalled helping both police & migrants in Röszke, while @BarthelRuzsa stressed the Army’s historic role in defending Hungary. @MiklosSzantho warned: on migration, one wrong decision is irreversible. #MRI10 pic.twitter.com/5lGEmv8onS

— Migration Research Institute (@mri_hungary) September 24, 2025

Speakers from neighbouring Serbia and further afield described similar challenges.

Bálint Pásztor, leader of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians in Serbia, said:

In 2015, 815,000 migrants passed through Serbia, a country of just six million. Towns like Magyarkanizsa saw 1,000 to 1,500 migrants daily, gathering in the park, the streets. Residents lived in fear until Hungary’s fence diverted the route westward. The migrants’ frustration of having to take a diversion boiled into anger, and clashes between migrant gangs, shootings, grenade explosions became regular daily occurrences.

Western European participants offered stark comparisons.

Manuel Ostermann of Germany’s DPolG Federal Police Union blamed former chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 “Wir schaffen das” policy for daily knife crimes and assaults committed by migrants today. “Hungary should be thanked, not fined, for protecting Europe’s borders,” he said, referring to the European Court’s 2024 decision, which ordered Hungary to pay a lump sum of €200 million, with an additional €1 million a day for failing to comply with EU asylum policies

Italy’s Daniele Scalea, President of the Machiavelli Centre, warned that demographic change threatens national identity:

The goal of a migration policy should be to preserve the security of the country, the identity, welcoming refugees, talented people, without undermining our society, threatening our way of life. Many European citizens understand that this is not what is happening, and our policies have failed.

He blamed ideology and legal framework—constitutional provisions, national laws, EU directives, international treaties—that tie the hands of our governments who wish to pursue anti-immigration policies.

France’s Raphaël Audouard, Director of the Patriots for Europe Foundation, estimated that one-fifth of France’s population now has a migration background, “with integration growing ever more difficult”—especially with regard to people of a Muslim background.

By contrast, experts underlined that Central Europe remains comparatively secure. Florian Hartleb of the Modul University in Vienna noted: “In Western Europe, concerts and Christmas markets face constant threats. Countries such as Hungary and Slovenia do not suffer the same radicalisation.”

Rodrigo Ballester of MCC’s Centre for European Studies summed up the sentiment: “Ten years ago, Hungary was a trendsetter. Time proved Hungary right.”