MARCH 18, 2025 – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor today in the Pentagon. The two discussed, among other things, how the U.S. and Ireland are both struggling with the effects of illegal immigration.
McGregor described the illegal immigration problem in Ireland as “a threat of destruction from within.”
“That’s what we feel is happening in Ireland at present. There’s no support for the people of Ireland,” he said. “It’s almost like we’re witnessing the destruction of Ireland in real time. It’s being harbored by our own government. The illegal immigration racket is the biggest money racket that has ever been in Irish history.”
McGregor said many rural towns in Ireland have become inundated with illegal immigrants, changing the character of those towns forever. With some 40 million Americans of Irish descent living in the U.S., he expressed concern those Americans would find their ancestral homes unrecognizable if they returned to Ireland for a visit.
“They take great pride in their Irish heritage,” McGregor said. “Sooner or later … there will be no place for these Irish Americans to come home and visit their native country, where they are from.”
Hegseth highlighted U.S. efforts to get after the same problem.
“Now you look at what this president is doing … last night they sent 250 Tren de Aragua gang members out,” Hegseth said. “There’s no other way to handle it.”
“Breathtaking,” McGregor said. “There are Americans all over the country, the length and breadth of this country, who are breathing a sigh of relief because of President [Donald J.] Trump’s administration efforts.”
The U.S. has sent the military to the border to partner with the Department of Homeland Security to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the country, Hegseth said.
“We’ve spent 20 years defending other people’s borders all around the world,” he added. “And we let the world come in through our southern border – 20 million people, we have no idea who they are.”
Like in Ireland, Hegseth said, it’s not just big cities in the U.S. impacted by illegal immigration. It’s small towns and cities as well.
“There are entire small towns that have been transformed by illegal immigration,” he said.
One of Hegseth’s priorities is increasing the lethality of the force by making troops stronger, fitter and more suited for defending the nation. As a mixed martial artist, McGregor knows something about preparing for a fight.
“You’ve got to train, you’ve got to train hard, you’ve got to be committed and dedicated every day,” he said. “Mentorship every single day on defense and on security and on leadership.”
Prior to his meeting with Hegseth, McGregor visited the White House and participated in a press conference there in the briefing room. Following his visit to the Pentagon, he returned to the White House for a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.
Before leaving the Pentagon, McGregor recorded a message to service members across the military.
“This is a message to the great troops of the United States of America,” he said. “I’m here with your Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. You’re in good hands. Men, women, keep fighting the good fight. Fight, fight, fight, as the big man says. Let’s go, troops of America. God bless.”
By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News