Hegseth lectures European allies on immigration 'invasion' during D-Day anniversary speech in France

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:52, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 10:57, 7 June 2026 The US Defence Secretary has criticised Europe for allowing an 'invasion' of immigrants in a D-Day anniversary speech. Pete Hegseth attended the 82nd anniversary of allied forces liberating Nazi-occupied Europe in France in the Second World War yesterday - but took the time to mention the topic of immigration in his speech commemorating the soldiers storming the Normandy beaches. Hegseth told a reflective crowd of former veterans and current military leaders 'sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies'. He said: 'Beaches in Spain, in Italy, in Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?' The former officer added that Europe had grown too 'comfortable' with their hard-fought freedoms, highlighting that 'that freedom must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters or what they fought for was merely temporary'. Strict immigration control remains a top priority for the Trump administration's domestic policy agenda, who have deported hundreds of thousands of people since the President came into office.  On Friday, Republicans managed to get a further $70billion in extra funding to go towards Trump's immigration crackdown after Senators passed a controversial bill. Hegseth's comments come only days after the Trump administration were criticised for 'trying to interfere in our democracy' following criticisms of Henry Nowak's murder. The US Defence Secretary has criticised Europe for allowing an 'invasion' of immigrants in a D-Day anniversary speech The 18-year-old was stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa, 23, a Sikh man armed with a ceremonial blade, in Southampton. Digwa lied to police that he had been the victim of a racist attack and acted in self-defence. Police then arrested Mr Nowak, ignoring his pleas that he needed help and could not breathe from his stab wounds. The recently released bodycam footage has sparked widespread outrage, with many protestors taking to the streets condemning a 'two-tier' policing system.  Vice President JD Vance used similar rhetoric to Hegseth blasting the 'European elites' for their 'invasion of migrants,' which he blamed for the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak.  Vance wrote on X Friday: 'Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit.' 'He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it,' he added. Vance wrote that the only response to such an incident 'is righteous anger,' adding that nobody 'should ever die the way that Henry Nowak died.' A spokesman for the Prime Minister Keir Starmer said shortly after Vance's post: 'In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets. 'The Nowak family are grieving after Henry's horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.' The Trump administration have also said: 'Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West. 'The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.' Starmer has repeatedly denounced anyone speaking out about the tragedy, including UK lawmakers and even Elon Musk.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.