Security measures within the European Union to stop terrorists from launching deadly attacks, like bombings the Islamic State (ISIS) launched in Brussels this week, are a "disaster," Pete Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, tells
Newsmax TV.
"Europe is a mess. Their borders all along the EU are a disaster," Hoekstra said Thursday to J.D. Hayworth on "Newsmax Prime."
Watch Newsmax TV on
DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Ch. 223 and
Verizon FiOS Ch. 115. Get Newsmax TV on your cable system —
Click Here Now
"Remember the EU? They're the ones that are allowing in what, 1 million, 1.5 million refugees, migrants, whatever you want to call them, from Syria, from Iraq and who knows where, with no proper vetting. Now [the EU is] going after Brussels and saying, 'hey Belgium, you're the problem.'
"No, the whole EU is asleep on this threat from radical Islam. They're not going after their indigenous problems, their borders are a disaster, and they're not doing anything to solve the problem in Libya, Syria, and Iraq, taking the actual fight to ISIS."
And whether it's possible to turn the current system around is doubtful, Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, believes.
"It's naive of us to believe that Europeans are going to change their behavior. They haven't changed it after [the attacks in] Paris and after Cologne, now after Brussels," Hoekstra said.
"The only thing that's going to change is when the voters in Europe express their frustration at the polls and that's going to happen in the next round of elections."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.