As the United States and United Kingdom head for crucial elections in 2024, immigration challenges dominate political discourse.
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak face mounting pressure from voters and opposition parties over border security and how immigration puts massive strain on national resources that this time, the topic has become one of the biggest election issues for both the leaders.
US-Mexico border woes linger
Biden recently executed actions to limit asylum at the US-Mexico border taking a complete U-turn from his 2020 election campaign promise to restore asylum protections.
This policy change aims to address the unprecedented influx of migrants.
Donald Trump, under whom the administration had dismantled asylum protections, criticised Biden's immigration policies as ineffective and called for more stringent measures.
Hindustan Times article, citing Gallup, reported “immigration has consistently ranked as a top concern for American voters, often surpassing economic worries.
56% Americans believe Biden's handling of immigration has negatively impacted the country."
Net immigration higher than pre-brexit level
Sunak is also facing significant challenges when it comes to immigration.
To meet the challenges, Sunak pledged to reduce immigration levels, aiming to distinguish the Conservative Party from Labour
Despite Brexit's promise to come up with stricter border controls, net migration remains high.
Currently, net immigration is at 685,000, a slight reduction from the previous year's record but still higher than pre-Brexit levels.
To address the issue Recent figures indicate net immigration at 685,000, a slight reduction from the previous year's record but still substantially above pre-Brexit levels.
In response, Sunak's government implemented stringent measures targeting specific immigrant groups, including international students and care workers, by introducing stricter visa requirements and higher salary thresholds.
The UK immigration debate also includes asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats. Sunak's proposal to send these asylum seekers to Rwanda has faced legal challenges and remains unimplemented.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/can-immigration-concerns-turn-out-to-be-biggest-challenge-or-biden-and-sunak-ahead-of-us-uk-elections-11717584070226.html
