After the unspeakable carnage and devastation of WWII, Europe was resurrected under the protective umbrella of NATO largely provided by the United States. Economies and infrastructure were rapidly rebuilt, so prosperity could return, but more important was safety and security. Europeans were desperate for peace and stability.

In the immediate post-WWII era, Europeans fully understood the vital importance of common morality, harmony, and order to establish a safe, stable society. They worked hard and prayed hard to restore their nations. Filled with national pride for defeating evil and simply surviving the daunting darkness, Western European nations embraced their churches and cherished their countries. For almost half a century, Western Europe was arguably the safest place on the planet. Women could jog in the evenings, young mothers could walk children in the park, and no one thought twice about walking home alone late at night.

The past couple of decades, Europe’s bucolic serenity has been shattered. Crime has skyrocketed, and poverty is rising (France, for example, now has unprecedented poverty). The reason? Illegal immigrants are 5 to 8 times more likely to commit crime than native citizens. Streets in major cities or any public swimming pool are no longer safe. Ridiculously low for decades, violent crime is now becoming prevalent; and worse, the rape epidemic has increased 50-100%. England doesn’t even have the gumption to investigate and prosecute migrant “grooming gangs” that abduct girls for sex trafficking. European women can only venture out at great risk.

What changed? What happened? Immigration, both legal and illegal. Europe has been allowing legal immigration for about half a century, but it has never required assimilation. Afghans imported to Sweden are still Afghans. Turks immigrating to Germany have not become Germans. North Africans flocking into France have not become French.

Some migrants adapted and some came only to work, but most modern migrants cling to their home countries’ ideas and morals that are wholly incompatible with western culture and values. The problem is immigration without assimilation. A half century of legal immigration set the foundation for segregated society, but the past couple decades of out-of-control illegal immigration have only put the decline of Europe on steroids.

The abject absence of assimilation has created nations within nations. Larger cities in France and Sweden have “no-go” ghettoes where law enforcement dare not tread; those areas are literally run by migrant gangs, or Mosques. The United Kingdom allows Sharia Law Courts for Muslim neighborhoods. The migrants in these areas have no allegiance to their host countries because they only have fealty to the governance they escaped—yet reinstituted—in their new homes. We have similar developments in Michigan and Minnesota.

Europe has forfeited security for diversity. It’s not even about cheap, menial labor anymore, as most migrants in the past couple years do NOT work; they are sucking up public benefits. It’s about recasting western culture that champions independence and cherishes freedom into a chaotic, dependent, immoral dystopia that will accept tyranny.

Europe is on the fast track to ruin. Unfettered illegal immigration is overwhelming European culture and governments, but it’s only the method, not the reason, for the decline. European societies cannot withstand the assault of competing invading cultures, because they no longer believe in their own culture, traditions, or values. In short, Europeans have abandoned God. They do not stand for anything, so they will fall for everything.

Between allowing an invasion of illegal immigrants—and as a result, advancing socialism—post-Christian Europe has become apathetic, cowardly, and immoral. Europeans no longer have the conviction or courage to defend their culture or countries. Without fundamental revival, Europe is doomed. It will ultimately succumb to radical Islam, or Russia.

Europe’s utter failures with immigration are much more than a cautionary tale; they are red flags and ringing alarms. Immigration, in of itself, is healthy and necessary for growing nations, but without assimilation, it produces the seeds of demise. To survive, much less thrive, any nation must have shared culture, traditions, and values. Thankfully, America has a rich history of loving liberty and upholding justice all enshrined in our Constitution, but most of all, the United States is a nation of God-fearing Judeo-Christians who are devoted to freedom and truth, as made clear by our Declaration of Independence.

President Trump has miraculously secured the border and is aggressively deporting criminal illegal aliens. In doing so, he is making great strides in purging destructive foreign influences. Stemming illegal immigration in America is long overdue, but now we need immigration reform to allow in only those who want to be “Americans.” Immigration without assimilation is as bad as illegal immigration. Just watch Europe disintegrate. Pray we learn and avoid their fate.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.