Take stronger action on migration, US defence secretary urges European leaders

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged European leaders to take stronger measures to address migration, describing the arrival of migrants on the continent’s shores as an “invasion” during a speech marking the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.

As reported by the BBC on Sunday, speaking at commemorations honouring Allied forces who stormed the beaches of Nazi-occupied France in 1944, Hegseth drew parallels between historical and contemporary challenges facing Europe.

“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. “Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?” he said.

Migration has become a major political issue across Europe, with support for parties advocating stricter immigration policies growing in several countries.

The Trump administration has also made immigration enforcement a central component of its domestic agenda, seeking billions of dollars in additional funding for border security and enforcement agencies.

Hegseth’s remarks represent the latest criticism of European migration policies from senior members of the U.S. administration. Just a day earlier, Vice-President JD Vance blamed the death of 18-year-old British student Henry Nowak on what he described as a “mass invasion of migrants.”

However, British officials rejected the comments. A spokesperson for Downing Street criticised attempts to interfere in the country’s democratic debate and noted that Nowak’s family did not want his death used to deepen social divisions.

British prosecutors have also confirmed that the man convicted in the killing, Vickrum Digwa, was born in the United Kingdom.

During his address, Hegseth also warned that some European nations had become too comfortable with freedoms won through sacrifice during World War II.

“The men who fought and died here restored freedom to Europe. “That freedom must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters, or what they fought for was merely temporary,” he said.

The comments are likely to fuel further debate over migration policies and transatlantic relations as European governments continue to grapple with border security, asylum claims and integration challenges.