Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Mullin issued a stark assessment of the violent riots engulfing France, declaring that the nation has 'lost control' and warning that the scenes unfolding in Paris mirror the chaos America experienced under the previous administration.
Speaking in a video posted by the White House Rapid Response account, Mullin drew a direct line between the unrest in Europe and the border enforcement policies now in place under President Donald Trump.
Mullin Traces French Unrest to Border Failures
Mullin began by recalling the unrest that unfolded in American cities during Joe Biden's presidency, comparing it to what is now happening in France.
"I want you to go back two, three years ago when Biden was in office," Mullin said. "Think about the Palestinian flags that they were carrying. Think about the Antifa movement and the writers that were sticking back where they were crushing in, stores, their writing, looting, look at Portland, what happened in Portland, look at Seattle, what happened in Seattle, even look at Washington, D.C. what was taking place here."
He specifically highlighted the attack on Union Station in Washington, D.C., saying the same imagery is now appearing across the Atlantic.
"Look at what happened in Union Station right here in Washington, D.C. with the same flags, the Palestinian flags, the same type of gear that you see that Antifa is wearing, you're seeing now in Paris, all black covering their face, well organized," Mullin said.
Trump Identified the Threat Immediately
Mullin revealed he was with President Trump when the French unrest first began and said the president immediately recognized it as something more serious than a student protest.
"Remember, this started in France as a school walk out," Mullin said. "And it was interesting to me because I was visiting with the president the first day that this took off. And he was watching it. You guys were reporting on he's watching it. He says, this isn't a school walk out. This is an uprising. And it has rained true in my head."
He added, "The president of the United States, President Trump, recognize that immediately what it was. And it's proven true. And now you see France has lost control of it."
Secure Borders as the Foundation of National Security
Mullin underscored the administration's core argument that border security is inseparable from national security.
"This is why I say this all the time. You cannot have a secure nation if you don't have a secure border," he said. "You have to know who is in your country."
He directly addressed skepticism about the connection between gang arrests and the French violence, explaining that gangs are increasingly aligning with terror networks.
"We're seeing cartels and we're seeing guard gangs that, like MS-13 that are starting to pair up with the extreme Islamic groups," Mullin said. "And we've arrested 2,268 terrorists in this country since President Trump has been in office. That means they were let in this country underneath the Biden administration. They entered in on a false name. Or we didn't know who they were, who entered the country or when they entered the country. 2,268."
He added that more than 12,000 gang members with strong affiliations to these groups have been arrested, including 130 in the last week alone.
America's Turnaround Under Trump
Mullin contrasted the situation in France with what he described as historic improvements in American safety since President Trump took office.
"Thank God we have President Trump in office because we've seen murder rates at 126 year low. We've seen car jacking, we've seen violent crimes. And we're seeing drug abuse through fentanyl actually begin to drop," Mullin said. "That's because we have all in order that we're trying to establish. And France obviously lost track of what they are trying to do."
