When US President Donald Trump addressed the UN General Assembly this week, he dedicated much of his nearly hour-long speech to the dangers of “illegal migration”.
In a hit against Europe, he claimed that Austria’s prisons are overflowing with foreigners - suggesting this was evidence of uncontrolled immigration.
But was he correct?
What Trump actually said
Trump warned that Western European countries were being “destroyed” by illegal migration, blaming political correctness for weak policies. In making his point, he highlighted Austria, saying that “53 percent of the prison inmates are not Austrians” - a figure he linked directly to illegal immigration.
He added that Austria’s situation was echoed elsewhere in Europe, comparing the figure to Switzerland, where he claimed 72 percent of prisoners are foreign nationals.
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What the numbers show
On the surface, Trump’s number for Austria is close to official statistics. According to Austria’s Ministry of Justice, there were 10,013 people in prison as of September 1st. Of these, 4,757 were Austrian citizens (47.5 percent), meaning that 52.5 percent were not Austrian nationals.
Breaking down the figures further, around 19 percent of inmates were citizens of other EU countries (and therefore entitled to work and live in Austria), while about 32 percent were from outside the EU. The citizenship of a small fraction - just under 2 percent - was unknown.
So while Trump’s percentage was not far off, his framing is misleading.
Foreigners are not the same as 'illegal migrants'
Austria’s prison statistics do not differentiate between people who are undocumented, asylum seekers, or those legally residing in the country. Many foreign inmates are EU citizens who have the right to live and work in Austria. Others are long-term residents or migrants with valid visas or Austrian-born but without citizenship.
In other words, the figure does not prove that “illegal migration” is driving crime or incarceration rates in Austria. It only shows that a significant share of inmates do not hold Austrian passports.
Several factors contribute to the fact that the proportion of foreign nationals in Austrian prisons exceeds 50 percent.
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Firstly, Austria has a relatively high share of foreign residents overall - around 20 percent of the population are non-citizens. That already makes it more likely that non-Austrians will appear in prison statistics in higher numbers than in countries with historically lower migration.
Secondly, some research suggests that non-citizens can face tougher conditions from the police and in the justice system. They are more often approached by the police and less likely to be granted alternative sentences such as probation, meaning they are more often imprisoned rather than given community penalties.
Thirdly, Austria sits at a crossroads in Europe, and prisons sometimes hold people convicted of offences committed while passing through, such as trafficking or smuggling cases.
The political reaction in Austria
Trump’s mention of Austria drew quick responses at home. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger of the liberal NEOS party said the speech was disappointing for its lack of concrete proposals on global issues. “It is a pity that most of Donald Trump’s long speech was dedicated to domestic US topics,” she said, according to Die Presse.
She acknowledged that irregular migration is a challenge, but stressed the need for international cooperation rather than inflammatory rhetoric.
This is not the first time Austria has unexpectedly featured in Trump’s speeches. Back in 2020, he raised eyebrows by saying that Austrians live in “forest cities” with “explosive trees” - comments that sparked amusement and memes across the country.
READ ALSO: 'Be vigilant at night': Just how safe do foreigners living in Austria feel?
This time, the tone was more serious. Yet while his numbers were technically close to reality, the suggestion that Austria’s prison population is proof of illegal migration and its dangers is misleading.
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