US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday rejected the idea of a “world without borders” and warned European leaders that uncontrolled mass migration is destabilizing Western civilization and eroding national sovereignty.
Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, Rubio criticized the post-Cold War belief that the world had reached the “end of history,” an era when liberal democracy would spread and national boundaries would blur. He called this a ‘dangerous delusion’.
“This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature and the lessons of more than 5,000 years of recorded human history. And it cost us dearly,” Rubio said.
Rubio emphasized that border security is not rooted in exclusion, but in responsibility.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a keynote speech at the 62nd Munich Security Conference, February 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
“We must also take control of our national borders, and control who and how many people enter our countries,” he said. “This is not an expression of xenophobia. It is not hatred. It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.”
Failure to do so, Rubio warned, is “not merely an abdication of one of our most fundamental duties to our people. It is an urgent threat to the very fabric of our societies and the very survival of our civilization.”
The top US diplomat added that lax enforcement threatens “the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture and the future of our people.”
Rubio’s comments come amid rising political tensions in both Europe and the US over migration, asylum policy and border security.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens to Wolfgang Ischinger, German diplomat and chairman of the Munich Security Conference, at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Outlining America’s direction under President Donald Trump, Rubio said the US aims to rebuild its alliance with Europe on a stronger foundation.
“We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary is ever 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 their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who are willing and able to defend it together with us.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly guardians of the West’s controlled decline,” Rubio said. “We do not seek to part, but to rekindle an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.”
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)
The US secretary said the US is looking for an alliance “ready to defend our people, safeguard our interests and preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny, and not an alliance that exists to exploit a global welfare state and atone for the perceived sins of past generations.”
Rubio reminded attendees that America’s ties with Europe go back centuries, and said the U.S. will remain permanently tied to the continent.
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“What we have inherited together is something that is unique, distinctive and irreplaceable,” Rubio said.
“By acting together in this way, we will not only help restore sensible foreign policy. It will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. It will restore a place in the world. And in doing so, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that threaten both America and Europe today.”
