Meloni's migration policy becomes lever for Italy's illiberal shift

In September 2022, Giorgia Meloni won legislative elections with her far-right coalition after a campaign focused mainly on migration. For the first time in the history of the Italian Republic, a prime minister from the neo-fascist political tradition took office. As the next elections approach in 2027, and as Meloni seeks a new term, migration remains a central issue for her political camp. But the focus has shifted, with growing emphasis on accelerating deportations. The most radical among her supporters advocate for the country's ethnic homogenization, using an identitarian slogan that has entered public debate: "remigration." Meloni now intends to demonstrate that she is at the forefront of this movement in Europe. In fact, she seeks to reduce the right to asylum to its bare minimum and has organized the removal of undocumented foreigners to countries outside the European Union, where they do not necessarily have ties – much in the way of the Trump administration in the United States. Human rights organizations have challenged this approach, but it is gaining traction among other European governments that are considering the creation of return platforms. In Italy, migration policy has also become a testing ground for challenging democratic checks and balances. In France, immigration is central to a proposed constitutional referendum promoted by the far-right Rassemblement National that would have wide-reaching implications for the foundations of democracy that extend far beyond migration. Meloni, however, has not needed to resort to such a dramatic measure. Rather, the issue has gradually become the primary arena for flexing powers rooted in the primacy of the government and in electoral legitimacy – even if it comes at the expense of the rule of law. Such political practice resists transparency and shows little regard for human rights. When Italian courts invalidated some of Meloni's migration decisions, her government seized the opportunity to challenge the work of magistrates, whom they portrayed as "politicized" and illegitimate compared to an elected government. This rhetoric was used particularly during the campaign for the referendum on judicial reform – which the prime minister lost in March – and was denounced by opponents, who saw it as an attempt to bring the judiciary to heel.