US President Donald Trump on Monday linked widespread unrest in France to immigration policies, urging French authorities to immediately seal the nation’s borders.
“The migrants have taken over France. They must close the borders, fast,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump told reporters later on Monday at the White House that he had told French President Emmanuel Macron he was “making a big mistake” on immigration.
“You’re letting everybody from the world come in. The whole world was coming in, and as you know, Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon, and that wasn’t the deal,” Trump told reporters.
“I told Emmanuel you should close up your borders. We closed our borders. He didn’t. And you know what? His borders are a problem”.
The statement followed remarks Sunday in which the US leader asserted that migration had “shattered that once great country,” urging Paris to regain control “before it is too late”.
Demonstrations across France began last month as student protests over teacher shortages and underfunded schools before expanding into nationwide union strikes against inflation and high costs of living.
The unrest escalated over the weekend, with several buildings set on fire, including the historic town hall in Limoges.
Nearly 1,000 security personnel were injured, according to the Interior Ministry.
More than 2,330 people were taken into police custody across France over the weekend, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said Monday.
In an address Sunday evening, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called “unrestrained violence” by “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”
He distinguished those responsible from protesters with legitimate demands.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday that he had instructed regional authorities to impose limited, localized curfews to prevent further rioting and looting .
WHY IT MATTERS
Trump’s intervention is a significant escalation in the transatlantic blame game over Europe’s social unrest.
By framing the French crisis as a consequence of immigration rather than economic hardship, he is offering a narrative that resonates with right-wing populists across the continent—and one that Macron’s government has explicitly rejected.
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ValidViewNetwork reports that the situation in France remains tense.