Photo of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea courtesy of Mstyslav Chernov via Wikimedia Commons.
By Elizabeth Murray ʼ26
Global Editor
The stars have aligned in 2024: around half of the global population is living in a country going through an election cycle, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Immigration and migration policy have been key issues throughout several campaigns across the globe. In this article, Mount Holyoke News will explore how individual countries and their leaders are navigating the topic of immigration politically during their election cycles.
Tunisia
Tunisian president Kais Saied announced on July 2 that the North African country would hold its elections on Oct. 6, 2024, though it is unclear if he will run for president, according to France 24. Saied staged a power grab in 2021 that allowed him to rule by decree, and has now imprisoned many of his political opponents, France 24 also reported. The shift in power has left Tunisia in political and economic turmoil.
Many migrants from both Tunisia and sub-Saharan Africa leave from the Tunisian coastline to attempt a dangerous boat crossing of the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, DW News reported. The Tunisian coastline is less than 100 miles away from Italian waters. Saied’s government has attempted crackdowns on immigration from sub-Saharan Africa, and Saied himself has used racist rhetoric that has led to violence and harassment against sub-Saharan immigrants.
France
Across the Mediterranean, parliamentary elections for the European Union saw a shift to the right, fueled in part by voters’ concerns over immigration. In France, the far-right National Rally party made historic gains at the ballot box on June 9, according to Le Monde. Exit polls showed that immigration was the second-greatest concern amongst voters, just behind purchasing power. The National Rally party has long held hard-line stances on immigration, and their platform sought to instate a systemic rejection of migrant boats and the outsourcing of the asylum process.
Following the European elections, France’s Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called a snap election. Immigration was again a prominent topic, France 24 reported. In a speech he made on June 18, Macron called on voters to reject the National Rally and the New Popular Front, or NFP: a coalition formed by the left-wing parties in France, whose plan he called “totally immigrationist.” This term has historically been used by France’s far right towards the left. Nativist dialogue has continued to sweep its way into the mainstream in France as the far right has continued to gain power, according to France 24.
The National Rally’s policy objectives include restricting French citizenship to those with at least one French parent, retracting residency to migrants who have not worked in over a year, ending family reunification visas, deporting undocumented migrants or those convicted of a crime, or are undocumented and offshoring the asylum process, France 24 reported. A long-term goal of the National Rally is to give French citizens priority for housing, employment and welfare benefits.
According to France 24, the NFP’s platform includes state medical aid for undocumented migrants and pathways to documented status for workers, students and parents of school-aged children. The NFP also planned to give asylum seekers the right to legally work, create a status for climate crisis refugees and create a ten-year residence permit. The left was expected to be targeted for their platform, as many voters believe that the current economic situation and public safety issues are linked to immigration, France 24 reported.
Immigration has remained a pivotal issue in elections in other countries across Europe. For German voters, immigration and asylum policy was the top concern, Reuters reported. The far-right Alternative for Germany party outpaced Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, according to the Associated Press.
United Kingdom
Crossing the English Channel to the United Kingdom, the issue of immigration is heightened by the uncertainty of Brexit, NPR reported. The decision to leave the European Union was fueled in part by the desire for the U.K. to control its borders and immigration, but after four years it has not panned out as the country hoped. Leaving the European Union has negatively impacted the U.K.’s economy and has not effectively fixed issues relating to immigration, according to NPR.
Numerous migrants have drowned trying to cross the English Channel on boats, a fact which has made its way to the forefront of the immigration debate, NPR reported. Former conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration planned a system based on deporting irregular migrants to Rwanda and processing their asylum claims there. This plan was blocked by several court decisions and was eventually dropped by the new Labour government, according to BBC News. Sunak’s government preemptively gave the Rwandan government £240 million ($310 million) for the deal, which they do not intend to return.
United States, Mexico, and Panama
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Mexico, the most violent election cycle in the country’s history has left many fleeing to the U.S. for political asylum, according to CNN. Mexico has been working with the U.S. to serve as a buffer for migrants arriving at the U.S. border from other countries. The border crossings have become increasingly treacherous due to the summer heat and the Biden administration’s policy of barring those who cross illegally from being granted asylum after a daily threshold is met, CNN reported.
Further south in Panama, right-winger José Raúl Mulino was elected as the country’s next president on May 5, according to the New York Times. Panama sits right on the path that the migrants from South America take to eventually reach the U.S. Mulino has vowed to close the Darien Gap, the jungle region that is used by migrants. Many of these migrants come from Venezuela, according to CNN.
The issues surrounding immigration and migration have been around for several years now, according to the New York Times. Countries are being forced to confront what has now become multiple humanitarian crises across the globe. Only this year’s elections will determine if this new crop of leadership will be able to find sustainable solutions.
