--- title: Hillary Clinton: Europe Needs to 'Get a Handle' Immigration description: Europe needs to "get an handle" on immigration in order to stem the rise of populism, Hillary Clinton said in a new interview canonical: https://time.com/5462136/hillary-clinton-europe-immigraiton-populists/ author: Eli Meixler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-23T05:01:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:05.132Z article:section: Politics og:title: Hillary Clinton: Europe Must 'Get a Handle' on Immigration og:description: Europe "has done its part" accepting migrants, Clinton said in a new interview og:url: https://time.com/5462136/hillary-clinton-europe-immigraiton-populists/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt172b58cd72d6f6f8/69893fca929fad998bbf2278/gettyimages-997855428.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Hillary Clinton Addresses The American Federation Of Teachers Convention og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hillary Clinton: Europe Must 'Get a Handle' on Immigration twitter:description: Europe "has done its part" accepting migrants, Clinton said in a new interview twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt172b58cd72d6f6f8/69893fca929fad998bbf2278/gettyimages-997855428.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Says Europe Should 'Get a Handle' on Immigration to Stop Right-Wing Nationalism > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=123aea02-9ad7-4d00-bee0-5a36e2259065&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Interviews Matteo Salvini [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Interviews Matteo Salvini](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mnU3vWvf.m3u8) (5:15)  _Published 2018-09-12. Italy's Interior Minister talks to TIME about immigration, the future of Europe, social media, and President Trump._ by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Nov 23, 2018 5:01 AM UTC  Hillary Clinton speaks at the annual convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Pittsburgh, Penn. on July 13, 2018. Hillary Clinton speaks at the annual convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Pittsburgh, Penn. on July 13, 2018. Jeff Swensen—Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Nov 23, 2018 5:01 AM UTC European leaders need to “[get an handle](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/22/hillary-clinton-europe-must-curb-immigration-stop-populists-trump-brexit)” on immigration in order to stem the rise of xenophobic populism, Hillary Clinton warned in an interview. Europe “has done its part” by accepting migrants from around the world, the former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate told the _Guardian._ But she also contended that by opening the door to those seeking refuge, the continent had welcomed political upheaval. Fears over immigration fanned the flames of identity-based political backlashes, she said, while suggesting it underpinned everything from the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union to the election of President Donald Trump. “I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what lit the flame” of populism, she said. While she expressed admiration for the “very generous and compassionate approaches” toward immigration taken by leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Clinton advised Europe to “send a very clear message – ‘we are not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support.'” The European Union has sustained deep political divides over immigration. While the bloc absorbed [over 1 million migrants](http://time.com/4163932/europe-sea-migrant-crisis-refugees-arrivals-million/) and refugees in 2015 alone, the influx has notably declined since — [186,768 total migrants](https://reliefweb.int/report/world/migration-flows-europe-2017-overview) entered the E.U. in 2017, mostly through Italy and Greece, according to the International Organization for Migration. Despite the drop in arrivals, stridently anti-immigration politics have gained ground in countries like [Austria](http://time.com/5439956/austria-un-global-migration-pact/), Italy, and [Hungary.](http://time.com/4022635/hungary-orban-muslim-refugee-migrant/) The E.U. announced plans in September for a [10,000-strong border guard force](http://time.com/5392444/eu-border-force-migration/) to check undocumented migration by 2020. **Read more**: [_Why Italy’s Matteo Salvini Is the Most Feared Man in Europe_](http://time.com/5394448/matteo-salvini/) Clinton’s comments were met with dismay from immigration experts and advocates. As the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, Clinton had promised to “[embrace immigrants](https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/immigration-reform/), not denigrate them,” a strong contrast to Donald Trump’s calls to deport “[bad hombres](http://time.com/4537847/donald-trump-bad-hombres/)” and enact a “[complete shutdown](http://time.com/4139476/donald-trump-shutdown-muslim-immigration/)” on Muslim immigration to the U.S. “If she’s simply saying you need to cut down on refugees coming to Europe to ask for asylum because they have a well-founded fear of persecution, just to [appease some right-wing political leaders](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/world/europe/hillary-clinton-migration-populism-europe.html), it’s just not the right thing to do,” said Eskinder Negash, president of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, according to the New York _Times_. ## Transcript [00:24] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [00:26] [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] And with [00:28] respect to the people [00:33] who defended our borders in 1915: if there are [00:44] borders, a civil government should [00:49] defend its borders. If we protect the external borders, [00:52] we will be able to protect the internal borders which [00:55] are now closed. The internal borders that are [01:07] now closed because France has suspended Schengen [01:09] by rejecting 50, 000 people on [01:17] the borders between Italy and France. So [01:21] now Schengen is suspended. I would like free [01:24] movement within the EU [01:29] as a result [01:34] of us protecting external borders. [ FOREIGN ] [01:37] [ FOREIGN ] I'll continue and people [02:31] still support [02:53] me. Even the left- wing voters want more security and [03:07] more rigor in this [03:19] field. Otherwise it would not explain why the Lega [03:26] party is getting 30 % in the [03:53] polls. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [03:55] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] I share [03:56] with the President all the attacks [04:12] against me, from the politically correct mainstream [04:15] world: actors, singers, directors, journalists. And this [04:55] means that we [05:08] are working [05:10] well. 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