US Vice President: Europe faces civilizational suicide without border control

In a recent interview with Fox News, US Vice President J.D. Vance warned that Europe risks committing “civilizational suicide” if it does not begin taking stronger control of its borders.

“Too many countries are unable or unwilling to control their borders,” Vance stated, emphasizing the growing challenge faced by European nations in managing migration.

Vance also pointed out that authorities in several European countries have been restricting the free speech of citizens, even when those citizens protest issues like “things like border invasions.” According to the Vice President, this troubling trend represents a deeper problem for Europe.

“Europe is threatened with civilizational suicide. They are either unable or unwilling to control their borders. What we're seeing now, their attempts to resist that, that's good, that's the right thing to do. But you also see them beginning to restrict the free speech of their own citizens, even as those citizens protest things like invasions across borders. [It was such protests] that led to the election of Donald Trump and a number of European leaders,” Vance explained.

The Vice President expressed concern over Europe’s open border policies and the growing restrictions on citizens' rights, calling it a serious issue for European countries' futures.

Vance, who stressed his desire for Europe to thrive as an important global ally, pointed out that respecting its sovereignty and its citizens' rights is crucial to the continent's stability. “If you have a country like Germany and migrants come from other countries that are completely incompatible with Germany, <...> Germany will kill itself,” he said, though he added, “I hope that doesn’t happen, as I love Germany and want it to prosper.”

The crisis Vance refers to traces back to the fall of 2015 when the EU saw a massive influx of refugees and illegal immigrants from North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. The European Union was ill-prepared for the scale of the migration, and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to implement an “open door” policy led to over 1 million refugees entering Germany alone.

Today, Germany remains one of the most sought-after destinations for migrants. According to the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), in the first half of 2024, a quarter of all asylum applications in EU countries were filed in Germany.

By Tamilla Hasanova