Europe cracks down on illegal immigration amid riots in France and Belgium
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In early June, the European Union appeared to have finally responded to concerns expressed by President Donald Trump and many European voters about illegal immigration by introducing stricter border entry rules for the 27-nation bloc.
The EU has agreed on new, stricter rules on immigration and asylum. The laws are specifically designed to ensure that illegal/undocumented immigrants entering the bloc are processed and, if necessary, quickly sent to deportation centers in countries outside the EU.
People seeking asylum will be examined for identity, security and health before entering any asylum system. Border authorities will now track and record non-EU citizens entering and exiting the bloc. It will also use biometric data such as fingerprint and facial recognition. And now all member states need to help each other and share information.
Associated Press He stated that the interim agreement reached by the three main institutions of the EU is expected to go to EU MPs and governments, where approval is expected.
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The men, mostly illegal immigrants, are rounded up by Greek coast guards after disembarking from a cargo ship in the port of Lavrio, south of Athens, on July 10, 2025. Migrants have been redirected from Crete, where more than 2,000 arrived from Libya in recent days, sparking outrage among local officials and tourism operators. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)
Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital: “The demographics of the EU are changing the culture of Europe. We have to deal with people who no longer integrate with local traditions.”
Although Britain is not part of the EU, “Britain’s efforts are behind the new EU rules,” he said. He pointed out that the country had “failed to have offshore immigration detention centers that would ensure the UK would not be seen as a soft touch”.
Illegal immigrants try to board smugglers’ boats to cross the English Channel off the coast of Gravelines in northern France on September 27, 2025. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)
Other experts say the longer it takes countries to solve the problem, the harder it will be to cope. Some say it’s too late now.
While Europe’s ordinary men and women have clearly seen the problems of illegal immigration for years, its leaders are only now getting the message.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 23, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last year, President Donald Trump explained to world leaders the damage caused by the influx of illegal immigrants coming to Europe. “You are destroying your countries,” he said. “Europe is in serious trouble; it’s been invaded by an illegal alien force no one has ever seen before.”
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Migrants from Tunisia and Libya arrive on Pelagie Island in Lampedusa, Italy, on an Italian Coast Guard boat on August 1, 2020. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
Just last week, Vice President JD Vance commented on the stabbing death of an 18-year-old British man.
Vance posted in part: “Henry Nowak died the way a civilization died: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who didn’t trust or care about him, and accused of hate crimes he didn’t commit. His murder was as tragic as it was angry. He should still be alive today, and would have been if the last few generations of European elites had stood against the politics of self-loathing and the mass invasion of immigrants, many of whom disdained the West and the people who loved it.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also touched on the issue in his speech commemorating D-Day in France over the weekend. “Unfortunately today, different shores of Europe are being attacked by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches, boats and men in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria are coming. When will the European capitals do something about this occupation? Or is it too late? I am not praying and I believe that I will not.”
Elsewhere in the EU, Spain appears to have cut ties with the rest of the bloc over its new stance on undocumented migration. The country decided to legalize half a million undocumented immigrants.
A migrant walks in front of a makeshift settlement where migrants evacuated from a former high school last week are camping outdoors in midwinter in Badalona, Spain, Dec. 26, 2025. (Bruna Casas / Reuters)
“When undocumented immigrants arrive, they get documents and they get social security,” Javier Negre, owner of La Derecha Diario newspaper, told Fox News Digital. He says most of the pressure to accommodate immigrants comes through non-governmental organizations. “NGOs had a big business and encouraged illegal immigration,” he says.
Another problem is that many undocumented immigrants do not choose to integrate into their new residence. “They don’t have the same values,” Negre said. “We import a lot of people, and some realize they can steal iPhones and wallets,” he said, commenting on the rise in crimes.
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Criticism of the move came mostly from the European left and NGOs. According to the Associated Press, Mélissa Camara of the French Green Party said the agreement was a “historic setback” for human rights in the bloc.
“Legalization of return centers outside the European Union, green light for the detention of minors, home visits inspired by ICE practices: the legal arsenal serving a xenophobic ideology is now complete,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
