Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday warned that the greatest threat to the U.S. and Europe is the flood of illegal immigrants and attempts to snuff out opposition to it.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Mr. Vance said President Joseph R. Biden led the world astray on immigration and censorship and that President Trump is righting the ship.
“The greatest threat in Europe, and I say it was the greatest threat in the United States until about 30 days ago, is that you had the leaders of the West decide that they should send millions and millions of unfettered foreign migrants into their countries,” Mr. Vance said. “That is the biggest threat to Europe and, frankly, remains, by the way, the biggest threat to the United States because, yes, you’ve got four years of President Trump’s leadership, but I guarantee you, if the Democrats ever get power again, they’re going to try to do it again.”
He added, “We cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe by letting millions and millions of unvetted illegal migrants come into our country. It has to stop!”
Mr. Vance headlined the first full day of the CPAC event that concludes with Mr. Trump’s speech on Saturday.
The annual gathering of conservatives has evolved into a massive celebration of the president and his MAGA movement that has reshaped the Republican Party.
Mr. Vance’s appearance fell on the one-month mark of Mr. Trump’s second four-year term in office.
The Trump administration has been moving at a breakneck pace to crack down on illegal immigration, unleash energy production, and identify wasteful government with Mr. Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
Mr. Vance said the moves would, over time, help to lower costs for Americans still struggling with inflation.
“It’s going to take some time to fix what Joe Biden broke over four years,” Mr. Vance said, adding, “Our fundamental goal is we want your children and grandchildren to be able to raise a family in the security and comfort in the country we all love.”
The vice president last week made waves by scolding European leaders in Munich for trying to silence dissenting political viewpoints and failing to crack down on out-of-control immigration.
“The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Mr. Vance said at the confab in Germany. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
When Mr. Vance mentioned that speech at CPAC, a large slice of the crowd at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center gave him a standing ovation.
Picking up where he left off at the Munich Security Conference, Mr. Vance said global leaders must stop trying to censor debate on immigration and other issues.
“You have to give the populations of the world the opportunity to speak up and say, ’No more of this BS. We want borders. We want sovereignty. We want to be able to speak our own mind in our own country,’” he said. “The Biden administration did more to destroy free speech, not just in the United States, but also in Europe, than any administration in American history.”
Mr. Vance said he’s not blaming the Europeans but instead encouraging them to recognize they followed Mr. Biden into “censorship and mass migration.”
“Follow the lead of Donald J. Trump, and that’s free speech, borders and sovereignty,” he said. “That is the future for our shared civilization.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.