Europe Subcommittee Chairman Keith Self Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Weaponized Mass Migration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee Chairman Keith Self delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titles "Weaponized Mass Migration: A Security Risk to Europe and the United States".
-Remarks-
The threat environment facing Europe is rapidly evolving, with direct implications of U.S. Interests. Our discussion today will help shape policy priorities in responding to malign actors' use of fifth generation warfare. Last December, this subcommittee conducted a hearing examining the hybrid warfare tactics employed by Russia and China against our NATO allies. This hearing builds upon that foundation, focusing on one of the most destabilizing tools in this hybrid playbook: weaponized mass migration. To the east and south of Europe's borders hostile actors are exploiting human movement to weaken sovereign states, strain institutions, and fracture alliance cohesion.
On the surface, what appears to be a humanitarian or border management challenge is in reality part of a broader campaign of hybrid aggression. Look no further than Russia's 2015 intervention in Syria, which resulted in mass migration to Europe. Belarus's more recent weaponization of migrants against Poland. In 2018, Polish authorities reported only three attempts by individuals to illegally cross the Belarus border into Poland. In 2025, The number was over 25,000. These tactics are deliberate and effective in causing chaos for European governments and societies at large, by directing, facilitating, or manipulating migration flows. Malign actors seek to overwhelm border authorities, provoke crises, and to degrade the overall national security of target countries. The objective of these tactics is not simply disruption, but erosion, erosion of public confidence, erosion of state capacity, and erosion of unity among allies.
Weaponized migration does not occur in a vacuum. It intersects with organized crime, human trafficking, illicit finance, and islamic extremism, creating security blind spots that hostile actors are quick to exploit. The human cost of weaponized mass migration are significant and intentional. European citizens face growing strains in public safety and social services, while migrants are often subjected to exploitation, coercion, or potential radicalization. These human costs are intrinsic to the strategy of sowing chaos, fear, and division. When assimilation fails and parallel societies emerge. Radical ideologies take root, undermining internal security and complicating counterterrorism efforts. This directly affects U.S. Interests by weakening some of our closest allies and amplifying threats to the homeland. When migration is weaponized to destabilize Europe, it undermines the collective security architecture that has preserved peace for decades.
While the EU and NATO increasingly recognize weaponized migration as a hybrid threat, recognition alone is insufficient. Effective deterrence requires coordination and sustained commitment from both sides of the Atlantic. This committee has a responsibility to examine how adversaries exploit migration, and how these tactics intersect with other hybrid tactics. Ideological extremism, and organized crime. I would note that later this week, I, along with many of my colleagues, are planning to attend the Munich security conference, where I look forward to engaging with allies and partners on the critical security matters of the day, including on the challenges of hybrid warfare. I look forward to the discussion and testimony of our witnesses, and a productive discussion on how to confront this evolving threat.
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