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In a forceful critique delivered on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the notion of a “world without borders.” Addressing European leaders, he expressed concerns that unchecked mass migration is undermining Western civilization and compromising national sovereignty.
Rubio’s remarks came during the annual Munich Security Conference, where he challenged the post-Cold War optimism that liberal democracy would become universal and national borders would diminish. He referred to this vision as a “dangerous delusion” that ignored both the complexities of human nature and the lessons amassed over millennia of recorded history.
“This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature, and it ignored the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history. And it has cost us dearly,” he asserted. Rubio emphasized that securing borders should not be seen as an act of exclusion, but rather as a measure of responsibility.
His address at the 62nd Munich Security Conference was marked by a call to reconsider the principles that have guided international policies since the end of the Cold War. The speech underscored the importance of balancing openness with the need to protect national interests.
With a backdrop of global challenges and shifting geopolitical dynamics, Rubio’s message resonated with a renewed urgency, urging leaders to reflect on how best to navigate the complexities of migration and sovereignty in the modern world.
“We must also gain control of our national borders, controlling who and how many people enter our countries,” he said. “This is not an expression of xenophobia. It is not hate. It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.”
Failing to do so, Rubio warned, is “not just an abdication of one of our most basic duties owed to our people. It is an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and the survival of our civilization itself.”
The top U.S. diplomat added that lax enforcement threatens “the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture and the future of our people.”
Rubio’s remarks come amid mounting political tensions in both Europe and the U.S. over migration, asylum policy and border security.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens to German diplomat and Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger at the Munich Security Conference Feb. 14, 2026, in Munich, Germany. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Outlining America’s direction under President Donald Trump, Rubio said the U.S. seeks to rebuild its alliance with Europe on stronger footing.
“We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength,” he said. “This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline,” Rubio said. “We do not seek to separate but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2026. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)
The secretary said the U.S. seeks an alliance “ready to defend our people, to safeguard our interests and to preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny, not one that exists to operate a global welfare state and atone for the purported sins of past generations.”
Rubio reminded attendees that America’s ties to Europe stretch back centuries, saying the U.S. will remain permanently linked to the continent.
“What we have inherited together is something that is unique and distinctive and irreplaceable,” Rubio said.
“Acting together in this way, we will not just help recover a sane foreign policy. It will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. It will restore a place in the world. And, in so doing, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that today menace both America and Europe alike.”
Rubio could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.