Topline<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compared the 1944 Normandy landings to immigration in Europe, saying at a D-Day anniversary speech in France on Saturday that the continent was being \u201cstormed by different dangerous ideologies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gestures as he speaks during a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery.<\/p>\n
Photo by Kiran Ridley\/Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Hegseth said the legacy of those who fought at Normandy \u201cdemands far more than quiet reflection, it requires our active vigilance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies,\u201d Hegseth added.<\/p>\n
The defense secretary named Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria as places where \u201cboats and men\u201d were coming ashore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen will European capitals do something about that invasion, or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n
Crucial Quote<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the years since these beaches, much of the West in some places, in some quarters and in some capitals, grew comfortable.\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cWe forgot that freedom is not free. We forgot that peace is not wished into being, it is bought with purpose, with honor and with strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tangent<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has framed Europe\u2019s immigration policies as a threat to Western society, with President Donald Trump himself telling European leaders last year their \u201ccountries are going to hell<\/a>.\u201d Vice President JD Vance has followed Trump\u2019s suit, recently blaming<\/a> the December stabbing of British university student<\/a> Henry Nowak on \u201cthe politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.\u201d Vickrum Digwa, the man who stabbed Nowak, was sentenced to life in prison. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s office said Nowak\u2019s family \u201csaid they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s remarks come days after the European Union advanced significant changes to its immigration policies that seek to increase deportations and build detention centers outside the European Union known as \u201creturn hubs,\u201d according to the Associated Press<\/a>. Dutch lawmaker Malik Azmani said there was an \u201curgent need\u201d for the new immigration policies, claiming only 28% of rejected asylum seekers return home, with most remaining in the European Union, the AP reported. <\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n