Vice President J.D. Vance delivered sharp criticism of European leaders on Friday, blaming their policies for the “appalling setbacks” caused by mass migration across the continent.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance pointed to a car attack in Munich, Germany, as an example of the consequences of weak immigration policies.
Vance condemned what he described as the “conscious decisions” by European politicians that have led to a surge in migration since the early 2020s.
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He argued that the attack, carried out by an Afghan national on Thursday, could have been prevented with stricter immigration laws.
“I believe there is nothing more urgent than mass migration,” Vance said.
“Today, almost 1 in 5 people living in [Germany] moved here from abroad. That is of course an all-time high. It’s also a similar number in the United States, also an all-time high. The number of immigrants who entered the [European Union] from non-EU countries doubled between 2021 and 2022 alone and of course it’s gotten much higher since. And we know the situation, it didn’t materialize in a vacuum. It is a result of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians all over the continent and others across the world over the span of a decade.”
The attack in Munich left 36 people injured, including several children.
Authorities said the 24-year-old suspect drove his car into a crowd of union members marching through the streets.
The attacker first arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor in 2016.
He was denied asylum due to authorities questioning his claims but was later granted a temporary residence permit in 2021, allowing him to work and attend school in Munich.
According to The New York Times, this marks at least the fifth major attack in Germany involving a Middle Eastern national in the past nine months.
In December, a Saudi Arabian man drove into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people, including a 9-year-old child.
Vance expressed sympathy for the victims but pressed for action to prevent further attacks.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them and we remain with them, but why did this happen in the first place?” Vance asked.
“It’s a terrible story but it’s one we’ve heard way too many times in Europe and unfortunately too many times in the United States as well. An asylum seeker, often a young man in his 20’s, already known to police, rams a car into a crowd and shatters a community. How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our shared civilization in a new direction? No voters on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to unvetted immigrants.”
He noted that despite public frustration, European leaders have continued to allow mass migration.
However, he pointed to rising nationalist movements as evidence that voters are demanding change.
“But you know what they did vote for, in England, they voted for Brexit,” Vance continued.
“And agree or disagree, they voted for it. And more and more in Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promised to put an end to out of control migration. Now I happen to agree with a lot of these concerns, but you don’t have to agree with me, I just think the people care about their homes, they care about their dreams, they care about their safety and they care about their capacity to provide for themselves and their children.”
Concerns over migration-related violence have intensified across Europe, particularly since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel.
The security situation has worsened in several countries, with recent incidents raising alarms.
In August, a Syrian refugee killed three and injured eight in a stabbing spree in Solingen, Germany.
That same day, two cars exploded outside a synagogue in southern France.
In May, an Afghan national in Germany fatally stabbed a police officer in what authorities classified as a religiously motivated attack.
Vance’s speech comes amid growing pressure on European governments to tighten immigration policies as public safety concerns mount.
With nationalist parties gaining traction across the continent, the debate over mass migration is expected to play a key role in upcoming elections.
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