What that means, according to NPR, is that someone sleeping on the streets can be arrested, taken to jail and even charged a steep fine.

The mix of federal and local laws constitute the  toughest vagrancy laws in Europe.

While activists believe the measures to make homelessness illegal are extreme, proponents believe that it will help rid the streets of those who are too poor to to live elsewhere, forcing them into shelters.

Hungary’s anti-vagrancy laws, which affect some 30,000 people, have also drawn ire from other countries in the European Union, where it needs allies not enemies, since it’s in pursuit of a hefty $26.5 billion dollar loan from the IMF.

The measures, however, don’t come as a surprise since police have been increasingly tough on the homeless over the years, often roughing them up and intimidating them under the directive of the local governments.

State or city officials didn’t respond to NPR’s request for interviews.