Vice President JD Vance on June 5 condemned the murder of a British university student, citing the incident to renew his criticism of European immigration policies and arguing that decades of mass migration have left Western nations unable to protect their citizens.
Vance's comments came days after a British court sentenced Vickrum Digwa, 23, to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for the 2025 murder of 18-year-old University of Southampton student Henry Nowak. Nowak was stabbed five times in Southampton following a brief verbal altercation with Digwa.
The case recently drew widespread attention after police body-camera footage showed officers handcuffing the wounded Nowak as he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed, while accepting Digwa's claim to be the victim of a racist attack. No evidence supported Digwa’s allegation against his victim, according to court testimony. The trial judge rejected Digwa's account as false and dismissed his claims that Nowak had assaulted him or used racial slurs.
Vance wrote in a post on X that the killing reflected broader failures by Western governments to enforce immigration laws and defend national identity.
"Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit," Vance wrote. "His murder is as tragic as it is enraging. He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it."
“Henry was far from the first to so needlessly lose his life, and I fear he won’t be the last,” Vance said. “Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response—the only response—is righteous anger. One of the most important things the Trump administration has proven to the world is that stopping the flow of mass migration and defending national sovereignty is a matter of political will and leadership.”
Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit. His murder is as tragic as it is enraging. He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few… https://t.co/e3HkjzWzwU
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 5, 2026
Vance’s remarks quickly drew attention in Britain, where the case has already sparked debate. Conservatives in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. argue that the manner of Nowak’s death illustrates failures in policing and immigration policy.
Nowak's family has called for further scrutiny of the police response, describing his death as "inhumane and degrading." The handling of the incident has been referred to Britain's police watchdog for review.