Hegseth Uses the D-Day Anniversary at Normandy to Warn of a Migration 'Invasion' of Europe

Speaking at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 2026 to mark the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth linked the commemoration to European immigration policy. 'Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies,' he said. 'Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion, or is it too late?' He added that the freedom won by Allied soldiers 'must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters, or what they fought for was merely temporary.'

Using a joint commemoration at an American war cemetery on allied soil to press a domestic political theme drew condemnation from historians and rights advocates, at a moment when U.S. relations with European governments over migration were already strained.

The historian Simon Schama called the remarks a 'blend of historical deafness, grotesque stupidity and comically ludicrous self-importance.' The Defense Department did not retract them.