Earlier in June, the European Union appeared to finally react to concerns raised by President Donald Trump and many European voters over illegal immigration by introducing tougher border entry rules for the 27-nation bloc.

The EU agreed on new, stricter rules regarding migration and asylum. The laws are specifically designed to ensure that illegal/undocumented migrants who enter the bloc are processed and, where necessary, quickly sent to deportation centers in countries outside the EU.

People seeking asylum will be screened for identity, security, and their health before even entering any asylum system. The border officials will now track and record non-EU citizens entering and exiting the bloc. Plus, it will use biometric data such as fingerprints and facial recognition. And all member states must now help one another and share information.

The Associated Press reported that the provisional deal struck by the EU’s three main institutions is expected to go to EU lawmakers and governments, where approval is expected.

EUROPEAN NATIONS DEMAND POWER TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO COMMIT CRIMES

Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that “The EU’s demography is changing Europe’s culture. We are now having to deal with people who are not integrating with the local customs.” 

While the U.K. is not part of the EU, he said, “Britain’s efforts are behind the new EU rules.” Noting the country has “not managed to have offshore migrant holding centers, which would make sure Britain is not seen as a soft touch.”

Other experts say the longer countries take to fix the problem, the harder it will be to deal with. Some say it’s already too late.

While Europe’s workaday men and women have clearly seen the problems of illegal immigration for years, their leaders are only just getting the message. 

President Donald Trump told world leaders about the damage caused by a flood of undocumented migrants into Europe during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly last year. “You’re destroying your countries,” he said. “Europe is in serious trouble; they’ve been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.”

JD VANCE’S WARNING ON EUROPE’S FUTURE SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON CONTINENT’S GROWING LIST OF PROBLEMS

Just last week, Vice President JD Vance commented on the stabbing death of the 18-year-old British man who was stabbed to death. 

In part, Vance posted, “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit. His murder is as tragic as it is enraging. He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also made reference to the topic during a speech to commemorate D-Day in France on the weekend. “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he said.

Elsewhere in the EU, Spain seems to have broken with the rest of the bloc on its new stance on undocumented immigration. The country decided to legalize half a million undocumented migrants.

“When undocumented migrants arrive, they get papers, and they get social security,” Javier Negre, owner of the La Derecha Diario newspaper, told Fox News Digital. He says a lot of the push to house migrants has come via nongovernmental organizations. “NGOs had a big business, and they promoted illegal immigration,” he says.

Another problem is that many undocumented migrants don’t choose to integrate into their new domicile. “They don’t have the same values,” Negre said. “We import a lot of people, and some realize they can steal iPhones and wallets,” he said, commenting on the rise in crimes.

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Critics of the move mostly came from the European left and NGOs. Mélissa Camara, from the French Green party, said the deal was “a historic setback” for human rights in the bloc,” the Associated Press reported.

“The legalization of return hubs outside the European Union, the green light for the detention of minors, home visits inspired by ICE practices: the legal arsenal serving a xenophobic ideology is now complete,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Albania to protest plans for luxury tourism developments linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over the weekend.

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Demonstrators gathered in the capital, Tirana, and at the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon on the country’s Adriatic coast, where campaigners say a project threatens one of the Mediterranean’s most important biodiversity hotspots.

Waving Albanian flags and carrying inflatable pink flamingos — which have become the symbol of the movement — protesters chanted “Cancel the project!” and marched under banners reading “Ivanka go home” and “Albania is not for sale”.

But what exactly is Kushner Island, where is it, and why has it become such a political flashpoint?

What is the history of Sazan Island?

“Kushner Island” is an unofficial nickname for Sazan Island, a largely uninhabited Albanian outpost in the Mediterranean at the centre of a controversial luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

The term has been popularised by critics and activists who argue that the scale of the project could fundamentally transform the island.

The island has a long military history. During the Ottoman period, it was largely uninhabited, but its location made it an important naval outpost. Following Albanian independence in 1912, control of the island became the subject of competing claims by regional powers.

In 1914, Italy occupied Sazan, known to Italians as Saseno. The island was formally ceded to Italy after the First World War and became a heavily fortified military base. During Benito Mussolini’s reign, Italian forces built military installations, barracks and coastal defences there, using the island to control access to the Adriatic Sea.

Following the Second World War, the island was returned to Albania and became one of the country’s most secretive military sites under the communist regime of Enver Hoxha.

Covering about 5.7 square kilometres, it is Albania’s largest island and is known for its rugged coastline, abandoned tunnels and hundreds of Cold War bunkers.

What is Jared Kushner’s involvement in Sazan Island?

Jared Kushner is backing the development through his investment firm, Affinity Partners. The proposed project, valued at around €1.4 billion, would transform part of Sazan Island into a high-end resort featuring hotels, villas, apartments, a marina and other luxury facilities.

The project has sparked opposition from environmental groups and local campaigners, who argue that it threatens sensitive ecosystems and lacks sufficient transparency.

Supporters, including Albania’s government, say it will create jobs, attract foreign investment and boost tourism. The project has been marketed as a high-end “eco-resort” aimed at wealthy international visitors.

Where is Sazan Island?

The island is located off Albania’s southwestern coast at the point where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea, near the city of Vlorë. It sits along the Albanian Riviera, one of the Mediterranean’s fastest-growing tourism destinations and opposite the heel of Italy.

For much of the 20th century, the island served as a military base and was largely closed to the public. Its strategic location made it an important outpost during both the Italian occupation and Albania’s communist era.

Why do protestors carry images of flamingos?

The pink flamingo has become the symbol of opposition to the Kushner-backed development. Protesters carry flamingo placards, costumes and banners to draw attention to concerns about the environmental impact of large-scale tourism projects along Albania’s coast.

The symbol first emerged during demonstrations against resort developments in the sensitive coastal wetlands around the nearby Narta Lagoon, an important habitat for flamingos and other migratory birds. Activists later adopted the flamingo more broadly as a symbol of environmental protection and resistance to what they see as unsustainable coastal development.

As protests against the Sazan Island project grew, the flamingo became the movement’s defining image. Demonstrators have staged rallies carrying giant pink flamingos and wearing flamingo-themed costumes, leading some to describe the campaign as Albania’s “Flamingo Revolution”.

For supporters of the movement, the bird represents both the protection of Albania’s natural heritage and opposition to developments they believe prioritise luxury tourism over environmental conservation and public access.

Additional sources • AFP, AP