The socialist leader of Denmark has agreed with JD Vance that mass migration is a ‘threat to daily life’ in Europe in what looks like a surprising turn of events to outsiders.
Mette Frederiksen, the centre left leader of the wealthy Scandinavian welfare state, would not appear to have much in common with Donald Trump’s right-hand man, who supports the takeover of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Frederiksen indicated her agreement with Trump and Vance’s immigration stance, stating: “I consider this mass migration into Europe as a threat to the daily life in Europe.
“No matter if you look at statistics on crimes or if you look at problems on the labour market, insecurity in local communities, it is the most vulnerable who experience the consequences,” she added.
Frederiksen's words echo much of what Trump and Vance have said on immigration, namely that migrants are taking American’s jobs and making America more dangerous, for which a wall between the US and Mexico needed to be built.
JD Vance, speaking in mid-February to EU leaders, went so far as saying immigration was a bigger threat than Russia.
The VP said: “No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.
“But you know what they did vote for? In England, they voted for Brexit. And agree or disagree, they voted for it. And more and more, all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promise to put an end to out-of-control migration.”
Intentional or not, Frederiksen has aligned herself with this rhetoric. The centre left Dane has enacted some of the harshest immigration policies in Europe, dubbed ‘zero asylum’.
These measures include negative advertising in source countries to deter migrants, confiscating valuables to offset accommodation costs, and threatening swift deportations for settled Syrians under Bashar Assad’s rule.
Additionally, the controversial “No Ghetto” laws aim to reduce the proportion of foreign-born residents in Danish neighbourhoods.
In 2021, Denmark passed a law allowing refugees to be relocated to processing centres in non-EU partner countries, such as Rwanda - a move later criticized by the European Commission.
Her moves have seen asylum claims drop sharply, approving just 864 asylum seekers in 2024.
That’s a quarter of all the people who have crossed the channel in small boats this year alone.
Not all those measures were implemented by Frederiksen's government, but she has also not repealed them, despite being labelled racist and discriminatory by various human rights groups and refugee advocates.
Denmark’s electorate has rewarded Frederiksen for her stance on immigration, however.
In the 2022 Danish General Election, Frederiksen's governing Social Democrats achieved their best result in 20 years, with 28 per cent of the vote.
The Social Liberals experienced one of their worst ever results, gaining just 3.79 per cent of the vote.
Leading opposition party Venstre also suffered major losses in the elections, losing more than 40% of its seats.
“The message that our populations in almost all European countries have tried to send to politicians through the years: Please get in control [of] our borders and be decisive on migration,” Frederiksen said.
The Dane has managed to blend policies of the right and left, for example, extending abortion laws and championing blue collar workers, while also talking and acting tough on migration.
“I totally believe in equal opportunities and a Scandinavian welfare model with a tax-paid education, social benefits and health care. But for me that’s only one traditional pillar of being a social democrat,” she argued.
“Being in control of migration is the second pillar.”
LATEST FROM MEMBERSHIP:
One area where Frederiksen does disagree with Trump and Vance is the threat that Russia poses to European security.
She pushed back on Vance’s assertion that migration was a bigger threat than Russia. Frederiksen has admitted her country made a mistake by letting defence spending fall.
Last month, she pledged to raise it to 3 per cent of GDP in the next two years, up from 2.4 per cent in 2024.
Frederiksen said Denmark faced its most dangerous situation for many years with Russia threatening eastern Europe and the USA doing the same in Greenland.
Her message to the Danish chief of defence was: “Buy, buy, buy,”, adding: “If we can’t get the best equipment, buy the next best. There’s only one thing that counts now, and that is speed.”
However, immigration is never far away from the top of Frederiksen's priorities.
“If I ask people about security and their security concerns, many of them will reply that Russia and defending Europe is top of mind right now. But security is also about what is going on in your local community,” Frederiksen said.
“Do you feel safe where you live? When you go and take your local train, or when your kids are going home from school, or whatever is going on in your daily life?”
Find Out More...
Mette Frederiksen, the centre left leader of the wealthy Scandinavian welfare state, would not appear to have much in common with Donald Trump’s right-hand man, who supports the takeover of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Frederiksen indicated her agreement with Trump and Vance’s immigration stance, stating: “I consider this mass migration into Europe as a threat to the daily life in Europe.
“No matter if you look at statistics on crimes or if you look at problems on the labour market, insecurity in local communities, it is the most vulnerable who experience the consequences,” she added.
Frederiksen's words echo much of what Trump and Vance have said on immigration, namely that migrants are taking American’s jobs and making America more dangerous, for which a wall between the US and Mexico needed to be built.
JD Vance, speaking in mid-February to EU leaders, went so far as saying immigration was a bigger threat than Russia.
The VP said: “No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.
“But you know what they did vote for? In England, they voted for Brexit. And agree or disagree, they voted for it. And more and more, all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promise to put an end to out-of-control migration.”
Intentional or not, Frederiksen has aligned herself with this rhetoric. The centre left Dane has enacted some of the harshest immigration policies in Europe, dubbed ‘zero asylum’.
These measures include negative advertising in source countries to deter migrants, confiscating valuables to offset accommodation costs, and threatening swift deportations for settled Syrians under Bashar Assad’s rule.
Additionally, the controversial “No Ghetto” laws aim to reduce the proportion of foreign-born residents in Danish neighbourhoods.
In 2021, Denmark passed a law allowing refugees to be relocated to processing centres in non-EU partner countries, such as Rwanda - a move later criticized by the European Commission.
Her moves have seen asylum claims drop sharply, approving just 864 asylum seekers in 2024.
That’s a quarter of all the people who have crossed the channel in small boats this year alone.
Not all those measures were implemented by Frederiksen's government, but she has also not repealed them, despite being labelled racist and discriminatory by various human rights groups and refugee advocates.
Denmark’s electorate has rewarded Frederiksen for her stance on immigration, however.
In the 2022 Danish General Election, Frederiksen's governing Social Democrats achieved their best result in 20 years, with 28 per cent of the vote.
The Social Liberals experienced one of their worst ever results, gaining just 3.79 per cent of the vote.
Leading opposition party Venstre also suffered major losses in the elections, losing more than 40% of its seats.
“The message that our populations in almost all European countries have tried to send to politicians through the years: Please get in control [of] our borders and be decisive on migration,” Frederiksen said.
The Dane has managed to blend policies of the right and left, for example, extending abortion laws and championing blue collar workers, while also talking and acting tough on migration.
“I totally believe in equal opportunities and a Scandinavian welfare model with a tax-paid education, social benefits and health care. But for me that’s only one traditional pillar of being a social democrat,” she argued.
“Being in control of migration is the second pillar.”
LATEST FROM MEMBERSHIP:
- UK's migration trap EXPOSED: Halal butchers and kebab shops issuing hundreds of skilled worker visas
- Planning HELL - List reveals ‘worst offender’ councils where decisions take up to SEVEN years
- POLL OF THE DAY: Is the Government spending enough to keep Britain’s defences strong?
One area where Frederiksen does disagree with Trump and Vance is the threat that Russia poses to European security.
She pushed back on Vance’s assertion that migration was a bigger threat than Russia. Frederiksen has admitted her country made a mistake by letting defence spending fall.
Last month, she pledged to raise it to 3 per cent of GDP in the next two years, up from 2.4 per cent in 2024.
Frederiksen said Denmark faced its most dangerous situation for many years with Russia threatening eastern Europe and the USA doing the same in Greenland.
Her message to the Danish chief of defence was: “Buy, buy, buy,”, adding: “If we can’t get the best equipment, buy the next best. There’s only one thing that counts now, and that is speed.”
However, immigration is never far away from the top of Frederiksen's priorities.
“If I ask people about security and their security concerns, many of them will reply that Russia and defending Europe is top of mind right now. But security is also about what is going on in your local community,” Frederiksen said.
“Do you feel safe where you live? When you go and take your local train, or when your kids are going home from school, or whatever is going on in your daily life?”
Find Out More...