Chicago – June 06, 2026
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used the 82nd anniversary of the D‑Day landings in Normandy to sharply criticize European migration and border policies, drawing controversy at a solemn commemoration.
Speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville‑sur‑Mer, Hegseth invoked the historic Allied landings of June 6, 1944, to warn that contemporary Europe faces what he described as a new “invasion.” “Different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies,” he said, referring to migrants arriving by sea on the shores of Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. “When will European capitals do something about that invasion?” Hegseth asked.
While he did not explicitly use the term “immigration,” his framing linked the movement of people across the Mediterranean to ideological threats to European security and cultural cohesion — a line of argument aligned with broader critiques from the Trump administration about border control and nationalist voices in Europe.
The remarks diverge from the traditionally unifying tone of D‑Day observances and risk straining diplomatic sensitivities with key U.S. allies, who have their own complex debates over migration and defense policy.
