EU governments are outdoing each other in introducing tough anti-immigration measures, embracing policies that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Poland is pushing to suspend the right to asylum, Germany has reinstated border controls, and Italy has opened two centres to process asylum seekers outside its borders. Now, EU leaders are considering ramping up deportations, aiming to send desperate people back to their countries of origin. All these measures point in the same direction: a Fortress Europe.

Meanwhile, parties pushing for stricter immigration controls are gaining power in several EU countries and making significant strides in elections. And many citizens in host countries, feeling neglected by their governments and suffering from stagnant economic conditions, are increasingly hostile to migrants, seeing them as a burden on public resources and a threat to job security.

What’s really driving this new clampdown on migration? What does it mean for the future of Europe’s approach to migration and human rights? And in this current political climate, what should our response be?

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