Trump slams Europe over immigration, says ‘horrible invasion' is killing the continent
Trump fulfilled a key campaign promise by effectively closing the southern border with Mexico while Europe and the U.K., in particular, are still struggling to get to grips with the crisis as dozens of boats packed with illegal migrants continue to pour into the country every day from France.
"On immigration, you better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore," Trump said to reporters after landing at Prestwick airport on Friday evening.
"You got to get your act together and last month we had nobody entering our country. Nobody. Shut it down. And we took out a lot of bad people that got there with Biden."
Biden repeatedly had single days when apprehensions ranged from 8,000 to 10,000 migrants, with his highest single month being December 2023, when 249,785 Border Patrol apprehensions were recorded.
"Biden was a total stiff. And what he allowed to happen," Trump continued, chiding his predecessor.
"But you're allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe."
"Many countries in Europe, some people, some leaders have not let it happen. And they're not getting the proper credit. They should. I could name them to you right now, but I'm not going to embarrass the other ones. But stop this. Immigration is killing Europe."
The U.K. saw a major surge in 2022 and 2023 when small boat crossings reached over 44,000 per year, according to government figures.
Nearly 22,500 people have arrived in the U.K. so far this year after crossing the English Channel, up 57% on the same point last year.
Net migration to the UK was 431,000 last year, down almost 50% from 2023.
Hungary and Poland are two of the most prominent European countries to take hardline stances against immigration, particularly irregular migration and asylum seekers. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a Trump ally.
Trump is in the U.K. for a five-day trip where he will check in with his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen, as well as with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and head of the Scottish government, First Minister John Swinney.
The president is expected to discuss the latest U.S.-U.K. trade agreement, a deal dubbed the "Economic Prosperity Deal" last month, which agreed to slash tariffs. The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has advanced its trade agreements under relatively amicable terms.
"I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard. But he's a good man, he got a trade deal done," Trump told reporters. "And they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the U.K."
Trump added that he would be meeting Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission about securing a trade deal with Europe.
"We're meeting with the European Union. And that would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it," Trump said.
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