Europeans are sour on Trump, but they increasingly back his immigration policy

# Analysis The paradox of Europeans embracing Trump-style immigration restrictions while rejecting Trump himself reveals a fundamental fracture in European consensus on borderless movement. As migration pressures from North Africa intensify, public support for restrictive policies is emboldening right-wing parties across the continent and legitimizing hardline positions that directly contradict the EU's founding principle of free movement—a cornerstone of European integration for decades. This shift threatens to weaponize immigration as a political wedge issue, potentially fragmenting EU cohesion as member states pursue unilateral border measures and nationalist governments gain electoral ground by delivering on hardline rhetoric. The real consequence is a weakened EU negotiating position on migration, increased pressure on peripheral nations like Spain and Italy to absorb asylum seekers alone, and the possible unraveling of burden-sharing agreements that have barely held together even during less contentious periods.