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US defence secretary criticises Europe's migration policies
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused European nations of allowing an "invasion" through uncontrolled migration, delivering the remarks during a D-Day anniversary address in Normandy.
Speech ties migration to historical struggles
Speaking 82 years after Allied forces landed on French beaches to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe, Hegseth drew parallels between the 1944 invasion and current migration patterns. He described modern arrivals as "different dangerous ideologies" storming shores in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.
"When will European capitals do something about that invasion?" he asked, adding that some governments had grown too "comfortable" with freedoms secured by past generations. "Freedom is not free," he said, warning that current leaders risk making the sacrifices of D-Day "merely temporary."
Migration fuels political tensions in Europe
Hegseth's comments reflect escalating criticism from the Trump administration toward European immigration policies. Last week, US Vice-President JD Vance linked the fatal stabbing of British student Henry Nowak to what he called a "mass invasion of migrants," sparking backlash from Downing Street.
The UK government rejected Vance's remarks as interference, noting the Nowak family's opposition to politicising the tragedy. The Crown Prosecution Service later confirmed the attacker, Vickrum Digwa, was born in Britain.
Trump administration prioritises immigration crackdown
President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted European migration, telling the UN last year that the continent was "going to hell" due to "uncontrolled migration." UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded by calling the comments "not right" while acknowledging the need to address illegal crossings.
The Trump administration's December National Security Strategy warned that Europe could become "unrecognisable in 20 years or less" if current trends persist, framing migration as an existential threat to the continent's identity.
Crossing numbers decline but remain contentious
Sea arrivals to Europe peaked in 2015, when over a million people crossed the Mediterranean, according to the UN. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 169,341 arrivals were recorded in the UK, Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus, with the UK accounting for 23% of the total.
From January to June 3 this year, 9,142 people crossed the English Channel to the UK by small boat-a 38% drop compared to the same period in 2025. Domestically, the Trump administration has intensified enforcement, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting thousands of arrests since January 2025.
