Europe has spent years struggling to control the number of unauthorized migrants entering the continent, implementing stricter policies in response. These measures appear to be working, with migrant arrivals dropping significantly compared to last year’s highs.
However, anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise, with leaders adopting increasingly harsh policies that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Despite the decline in migrant numbers, the political impact of immigration remains strong, similar to trends seen in the United States.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is attempting to send migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to Albania. Germany, which was one of the most welcoming countries during the 2015 migration wave, has expanded its border patrols. Poland is also planning to introduce laws that would temporarily prevent new arrivals from requesting asylum.
These measures are partly driven by the rise of xenophobic, anti-immigrant parties, which have tapped into fears about uncontrolled migration and the erosion of national identity. These parties are gaining support among Europeans who feel overwhelmed by the influx of migrants and frustrated by the fact that many asylum seekers who are denied permission to stay do not leave.
Leaders, some facing elections, are responding. In Germany, the Christian Democrats—Angela Merkel’s party, which previously supported migrant integration—are now pushing for stricter immigration controls. Their party is currently leading in the polls.
Susi Dennison, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that “the far right is the mainstream when it comes to migration now.”
What Do Tougher Measures Look Like?
Over the years, Europe has experimented with various methods to limit unauthorized immigration, including controversial deals with countries like Libya and Turkey to prevent migrants from leaving by sea. Other methods, however, were deemed too harsh or possibly illegal. For example, a 2018 EU report concluded that sending asylum seekers to third countries without processing their claims violated European and international law.
A sign of the shift to more extreme measures came when Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, praised Italy’s plan to send migrants to Albania as “out-of-the-box thinking.” Under this plan, migrants would be screened and detained in Albania while awaiting asylum decisions. However, an Italian court has questioned whether it’s safe to hold asylum seekers from unstable countries in Albania.
Other proposals from European leaders include paying non-EU countries to process asylum claims and deport those whose applications are rejected. Human rights groups have raised concerns about the legality of these initiatives.
Britain’s attempt to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, but similar ideas are being discussed elsewhere. Poland and the Netherlands, like Germany, are also tightening border controls.
Impact of Increased Border Checks
Tighter border checks appear to be working. In Germany, police in the town of Görlitz, on the Polish border, have reduced the number of unauthorized migrants they stop from about 250 a day last October to just six now. The reason, according to German police officer Michael Engler, is that fewer migrants are making it past Poland, which has also strengthened its borders.
Rising Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
The anti-immigrant backlash is fueled by several factors. The large number of migrants over the past decade has strained European governments’ ability to integrate them effectively. Extreme right-wing parties have exaggerated the threat, pushing centrist parties to adopt stricter stances.
Though illegal crossings into the EU dropped by 43 percent in the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, 2023 still saw the highest number of crossings since 2016, when Europe was grappling with a migration crisis. In total, around 380,000 irregular crossings were recorded in 2023, and more than four million Ukrainians have been granted temporary protection since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Another source of frustration is the inability to deport rejected asylum seekers, especially when their countries of origin refuse to take them back. While deportations are delayed, many migrants move undetected to other EU countries, where travel restrictions are minimal.
The frustration boiled over in Germany in August when a Syrian migrant, whose asylum application had been rejected, killed three people and injured eight others at a festival in Solingen. The attack added to growing concerns about the cost of immigration, especially as Germany’s economy weakens. Local officials and residents in the former East Germany, in particular, have reported that the influx of migrants has strained public services like schools and healthcare.
Katja Wolf, a former mayor in Eisenach, Germany, said the town, which welcomed 1,000 Syrian refugees in 2015, has since seen the number rise to 1,600. “But in two or three years it completely changed the surface of the city,” she said, adding that many locals felt neglected while refugees were receiving support.
Europe’s Need for Migrants
Despite the anti-immigrant backlash, some leaders have emphasized the need for migrants. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said immigration is essential for the country’s economic prosperity and the sustainability of its welfare state. He stressed the importance of managing migration effectively.
What’s Next?
Europe remains divided on how to balance the need for migrant labor with the concerns of citizens and the need to comply with international laws protecting refugees.
In Italy, Meloni is appealing the court ruling against her migration plan, which will set a precedent for other European leaders. Meanwhile, the EU is working on a plan to more evenly distribute migrants across member countries by 2026, which aims to ease the burden on countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain.
For now, ideas like Meloni’s—paying countries to process asylum applications and deport failed claimants—are gaining traction. However, Raphael Bossong, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, warns that finding countries willing to accept failed asylum seekers will be a significant challenge. “There is a lot of hot air in terms of what could be done next,” he said.
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