Remarks delivered on December 15, 2025, at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs in Budapest, Hungary, by Samuel D. Samson is Senior Policy Advisor for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State:
The EU threatens its sovereign members with legal retaliation if they resist enforcing their bureaucratic standards. Ireland, for example, faces lawsuits for its rightful hesitation to comply with Brussels’ speech directives. Hungary, of course, is no stranger to such coercive pressure, as seen most recently through its admirable resistance to the EU’s Migration and Asylum pact.
In the face of these assaults, Hungary has held firm, preserving its heritage, protecting its communities, and safeguarding its way of life. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Europe as a whole.
Mass migration has become rampant, with borders violated, citizens displaced from their homes, and local populations increasingly victimized by sexual assault, human trafficking, and other human rights abuses. Thousands of women and girls have been victimized by migrant grooming gangs in the United Kingdom alone.
Clearly, this is not a Europe of free speech and self-governance. Increasingly, this is a Europe destabilized by mass migration, where bureaucratic institutions are weaponized to stifle disfavored views, and legal systems are used to silence political opponents. Make no mistake: this jeopardizes civil stability and weakens the foundations of our transatlantic alliance. And this is why the Trump Administration is sounding the alarm to our friends in Europe.
As President Trump mentioned during Prime Minister Orban’s visit to Washington last month, Hungary should be applauded for its noble efforts on this front. Indeed, to quote our President, “this is a golden age for U.S.-Hungary relations.” And as we move forward together, you can all be assured that the Trump Administration, and the American people, stand alongside you as civilizational allies.