Storella Comments on Immigration, Greenland, and Strains on the NATO Alliance

Professor Mark C. Storella, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at the Pardee School, was interviewed by French TV (France 24 — English service) on January 20, 2026 to discuss the recent developments in United States immigration, and both foreign and economic policies.

Storella shared his perspective that President Trump may be overstepping himself in terms of immigration enforcement in the wake of the Renee Good shooting in Minneapolis. The Professor credits two reason for this view; the first, many Americans feel Trump has gone too far with the militarization of ICE operations and second, many industries are seeing talented workers “de-risk” from the United States by choosing to work elsewhere. He stated that 2025 was the first year in at least 50 years in which the U.S. has experienced net negative immigration.

The Professor noted that Trump’s pressure on Greenland is also putting pressure on the NATO alliance, although experts should not count it to yet. Regardless, European allies are having to “de-risk” from the U.S over themselves as they become more self-reliant for security. Storella averred that 10 Soviet and Russian leaders considered breaking up the NATO alliance as their foreign policy objective, and all failed. He went on to say that if Trump continues to purse these unpopular policies for seizing Greenland, he may achieve what all of them could not by wrecking NATO.

The full feature can be watched here.

Mark C. Storella is the professor of the practice of diplomacy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. He served as a United States Foreign Service Officer for more than three decades. Besides being an ambassador to Zambia, he was a deputy assistant secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration and dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella has several honors and awards to his name, including the Presidential Rank Award and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award. To learn more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.

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