Bardella from Polish border: Frontex now welcomes illegal immigration
National Rally leader Jordan Bardella accused the EU's Frontex border agency of facilitating illegal immigration and called for pushbacks and restored internal border controls during a visit to Poland's Belarusian frontier.
Speaking to the press from the eastern edge of the European Union, Bardella chose symbolic ground to make his case, as Valeurs Actuelles reports. The National Rally president did not mince words when describing Frontex, the EU border agency, declaring that it has become little more than a welcoming committee for illegal migrants entering Europe.
The French political leader argued that Frontex lacks clear directives to effectively protect the external borders of the European Union. He called for the agency to be authorized to conduct pushbacks, a practice that would involve turning migrants away at Europe’s borders while ensuring the safety of vessels at sea. Such measures remain controversial within EU institutions but have gained support among conservative governments in Central and Eastern Europe.
Bardella went further, arguing that securing external borders alone is insufficient. He advocated for the restoration of controls at internal borders within the Schengen Area, pointing to Poland as a model. Warsaw has reimposed border checks on its Lithuanian frontier, a move Bardella believes France should replicate.
The National Rally president, widely seen as a potential candidate in the next French presidential election, reserved his sharpest criticism for the European Commission. He accused Brussels of treating immigration not as a challenge to be solved but as a deliberate policy objective, stating that this fundamental approach creates a serious problem for nations seeking to control their borders.
The visit to the Polish-Belarusian border underscores the National Rally’s continued focus on immigration and sovereignty as central campaign themes. Poland has faced significant pressure along this frontier in recent years, with Belarus accused of weaponizing migration by facilitating the movement of migrants toward EU territory.
Bardella’s remarks come as European nations remain deeply divided over migration policy, with Western European governments generally favoring burden-sharing mechanisms while Eastern European states insist on stronger external border enforcement and national control over admissions.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
