No Borders, No Nation

AFPI Executive Director, Chief Strategy Officer and Chair of the Center for Homeland Security & Immigration Chad Wolf speaks on a panel with Center for Fundamental Rights (CFR) Director General Miklós Szánthó and CFR moderator Magor Ernyei.

On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and the Hungarian think tank, the Center for Fundamental Rights (CFR), co-hosted an event called No Borders, No Nation at the Embassy of Hungary in Washington, D.C.

Chad Wolf, former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and Chair of the Center for Homeland Security & Immigration at AFPI, participated in a panel discussion with Miklós Szánthó, CFR’s Director General. The partnership between AFPI and CFR stems from both organizations’ dedication to promoting policies that secure our respective borders, end illegal immigration, and protect each Nation’s citizens.

AFPI is committed to advancing the America First Agenda, which includes strong borders, ending the exploitation of our asylum system, stopping the human trafficking of vulnerable migrants, and defeating the Mexican drug cartels.

For those unfamiliar with CFR, Miklós Szánthó succinctly described his organization’s mission as, “The Hungarian approach… is to stop illegal migration, to protect the borders externally, and to protect and promote the families and children internally.”

The panel discussion, which was moderated by CFR’s Magor Ernyei, focused on the ways both the U.S. and Hungary have experienced border security and immigration challenges, as well as the best ways to confront them. In both Nations, policies that deter unlawful activity, maintain the integrity of our Nation’s borders, and end exploitation of the immigration system have shown great success.

Chad Wolf and Miklós Szánthó discussed how the presence of a physical barrier on the borders of both the U.S. and Hungary proved to be successful in stopping the flow illegal migrants, curbing illegal drug smuggling, and deterring other criminal behavior. Chad explained that the Biden Administration’s move to stop border wall construction on day one directly incentivized more illegal aliens to come to the U.S. southern border.

Chad Wolf contrasted the AFPI approach to the current policies of the Biden Administration. “Border security requires a combination of building the border wall system, enforcing current immigration law, and reforming the broken asylum system,” he said. “You have to hold people accountable for their behavior. If I could give a grade to the Biden Administration it was a double or triple F.”

Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó and Executive Director and Chair of the Center of Homeland Security & Immigration at AFPI Chad Wolf on stage at the Embassy of Hungary for their joint event, ‘No Borders, No Nation’.

AFPI and CFR will soon publish a joint research paper that will serve as a guide to best practices for maintaining strong border security, ending the exploitation of asylum systems, negotiating with problematic regional neighbors, and reducing incentives for illegal immigration.