Traditionally liberal European nations are lurching to the right on immigration as ‘the West wakes up to the effects of uncontrolled mass migration’, commentators have said.
Spurred on by the arrival of Trump and Vance in the White House, European leaders are becoming increasingly emboldened in imposing anti-immigration measures, to the disgust of humanitarian lawyers and judicial, metropolitan elites.
It comes as European populations voice their concerns at what they perceive to be the erosion of their way of life at the ballot box.
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Deutschland made sweeping gains in recent national elections, while in the Netherlands- one of Europe’s most liberal countries- the anti-immigration, Islam sceptical Party for Freedom won the most votes at the last election.
In Italy, Giorgia Melonihas transformed her miniscule Brothers for Italy party into a dominant hard right political force that currently rules the Mediterranean country.
In Britain, the most immigration-critical party Reform UK continues to top national polls, though the party was unable to capitalise on widespread support at the General Election as it was punished by the First Past The Post voting system.
Indeed, the gap between vote share and seat share was the most disproportionate on record as Farage’s party- despite scooping 14.3 per cent of the vote- received 0.8 per cent of the seats (5), coming second in 98 constituencies.
However, poll mapping models all indicate Reform would break their First Past The Post curse if an election was held tomorrow, winning over one hundred seats, partly due to Brits’ dismay at Labour’s grip on immigration.
Many in the population are eyeing European nations with envy as hardline policies on immigration stem the tide of migrants flowing out of eastern Europe and the Middle East.
GB News has investigated several nations across Western Europe and can reveal the following ways the continent is pushing back against mass migration.
Italy
One of Europe’s most staunchly anti-immigration nations is Italy, a focal point for immigration owing to the countries’ location sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea towards the Middle East.
Since taking power in 2022, Giorgia Meloni has enacted a string of stringent measures that has seen arrival numbers fall a whopping 60 per cent.
Central to her plans was a €200million deal with Albania to tackle smuggling gangs in the Balkan country and build two immigration detention centres where Italy could hold migrants and process their claims before deportation.
The centres were seen as major factors in deterring people from crossing the Mediterranean Sea, but Italian courts challenged the legality of sending migrants abroad and plan ground to a halt.
In response, Meloni slammed the courts for ‘judicial oversight’ and designated Albania as a safe country. The Italian courts referred the matter to the EU’s highest court, and a ruling is expected imminently.
In the meantime, Italy has gone public with plans to use the hubs to detain illegal migrants who are set for deportation.
Denmark
In a highly surprising move to outsiders, socialist centre-left Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has implemented some of the toughest immigration policies on the continent, mirroring the rhetoric of Trump and Vance.
Frederiksen echoed US VP JD Vance’s warnings on mass migration, calling it a “threat to daily life in Europe.”
Her “zero asylum” approach includes negative advertising in source countries, asset confiscation from migrants, and swift deportations.
Controversial “No Ghetto” laws aim to limit foreign-born residents, while a 2021 law allows refugees to be processed in non-EU partner countries like Rwanda.
These measures have drastically reduced asylum claims, with Denmark approving just 864 in 2024. That’s less people than have crossed the Channel this week.
While critics call her policies discriminatory, Frederiksen argues they protect Denmark’s welfare state and social cohesion.
Her hardline stance has been politically rewarded. In the 2022 election, her Social Democrats won their best result in 20 years, while opposition parties suffered heavy losses.
The result showed traditionally left-wing welfare policies could be combined with traditionally right-wing immigration control to great effect.
Frederiksen went so far as to call border security the “second pillar” of social democracy.
“Security is also about what is going on in your local community,” Frederiksen said, cementing her position as Europe’s toughest left-wing leader on migration.
Getty
Poland
The eastern European nation of Poland, which has been a major contributor of immigration to western European nations, is now clamping down on immigration.
On Thursday, Poland sent shockwaves through Europe after it suspended people’s right to claim asylum for up to 60 days, mainly in response to a surge of migrants at its border with Belarus.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the move was necessary to “take back control” of Poland’s borders, citing concerns over Russia weaponising migration.
Since 2021, thousands of migrants have attempted crossings each month, prompting Poland to erect a 5m-high barbed wire fence.
Tusk has framed the crackdown as a cultural issue, insisting that migrants must respect Polish customs and integrate.
He warned that Germany had suffered “negative experiences” due to mass migration and a lack of integration, a veiled reference to several terror incidents of late perpetrated by asylum seekers.
Rights groups have condemned the policy, calling it a violation of Poland’s international obligations, particularly after footage of border guards pushing migrants back into Belarus using batons and pepper spray emerged.
Polish PM Donald Tusk suspended the right to claim asylum in Poland for up to 60 days
GETTY
Germany
In Germany, where national elections recently handed the hard right the biggest gains since WW2, the incoming government just approved a severe hardening of immigration policies.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), led by incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) have reached an agreement to significantly expand the capacity for detaining migrants awaiting deportation. The deal includes a two-year suspension of family reunification for migrants and an expanded list of “safe” countries to which migrants can be sent back, now including Algeria, India, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Additionally, the negotiations have led to the introduction of new rules for deporting migrants who are sentenced to prison, along with the removal of the requirement for mandatory legal assistance prior to repatriation.
However, the parties can’t agree on perhaps the most effective but most controversial immigration measure- sending detained migrants abroad for processing and then deportation.
The CDU is pushing for it, but the SPD is rejecting demands.
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Netherlands
One of Europe’s most progressive countries, even the Netherlands political elite have begun to embrace increasingly restrictive immigration policies.
The Dutch Cabinet has agreed to press ahead with the “strictest asylum regime ever”, including abolishing permanent residency for asylum seekers and creating a two tier asylum system.
The legislation, which is expected to face a raft of legal challenges, will stop asylum seekers applying for residency, prevent foreign children from joining their parents in the Netherlands and make it easier to declare people ‘undesirable aliens’.
To try and reduce numbers of Syrian immigrants, the Dutch government is offering migrants €900 euros and free ticket back to Syria if they drop their claims for Dutch residency.
As Europe hardens on immigration, the UK continues to be locked in debate over the merits of mass migration and whether the nation needs it to combat falling birth rates and top of the workforce.
Much of the debate centres on small boat crossings which, in the past week, brought 1,722 migrants to Britain, the highest weekly record to date.
