This study examines the political, ethnic, and social dimensions of transnational guest worker migration to Hungary during the late Kádár era, with a focus on Cuban and Polish workers. The research explores whether an institutionalized form of exploitation ‒ resembling colonial oppression ‒ emerged under state socialism despite official ideological commitments to racial equality. It also considers whether the socialist rhetoric of international solidarity was compatible with the realities of ethnic hierarchy and exclusion. Drawing on international and domestic literature, archival documents, statistical data, press sources, and focus group interviews, the study employs a primarily qualitative methodology to analyze the lived experiences of guest workers. The findings suggest that a form of socialist-style colonial exploitation was reproduced, especially in the case of Cuban workers, and that a complex mix of latent ethnic bias and overt national stereotypes shaped efforts to integrate guest workers. Finally, the research identifies key patterns that influence the acceptance or rejection of culturally distinct labor migrants and examines the broader ideological and social contradictions that these dynamics reveal.