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Across democracies, there are concerns that immigration poses threats to liberal democracy. The conventional narrative focuses on two threats. First, as migrant inflows and ethnic diversity have risen, so has public support for nativist radical-right parties who are only weakly attached to democracy. Second, migrants themselves adhere to comparatively illiberal positions on a range of issues, with adverse consequences for liberalism. These narratives place the blame on mass publics. By contrast, this essay argues that mainstream political elites are frequently at fault. Even though large popular majorities are wedded to liberal democracy and open to immigration, mainstream parties have consistently adopted rhetoric and campaign strategies that legitimize and empower native and migrant citizens who promote illiberal politics. To the extent that immigration presents risks to liberal democracy, centrist political elites have facilitated and escalated these threats.
Image Credit: Mstyslav Chernov