The politics of migration

US President Joe Biden’s decision to send troops to secure the US-Mexico border shows the perilous politics of immigration. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Immigration has become an intractable political issue in the rich world. When government leaders take a hard line against inflows of people seeking a better life, they’re slammed as uncaring. Measures deemed too lax spark criticism even from liberals that the state doesn’t have the capacity to absorb the newcomers and only fans anti-immigration sentiment. Key Reading: - [US Readies 1,500 Troops to Cope With Border Migrant Surge]( - [Biden Eyes New Rules to Deter Border Crossings After Title 42]( - [Sunak’s Crackdown on Channel Migrants Passes Commons Hurdle]( - [UK Seeks to Scare Off Migrants With Plan to House Them on Barge]( - [Italy Wants NATO to Help Combat Russia-Driven Migrant Influx]( US President Joe Biden’s decision to send 1,500 troops to help secure the US-Mexico border demonstrates the perilous politics of immigration as he seeks a second term in 2024. With pandemic-era restrictions that enable the rapid removal of undocumented migrants due to be lifted next week, Biden is hoping to avoid chaos along the 1,951-mile frontier that would fuel Republican complaints of a weak policy. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, trailing in opinion polls ahead of elections next year, is trumpeting a proposal to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda. The United Nations says such a policy will expose refugees to “serious harm” and is incompatible with Britain’s international obligations. In the Mediterranean, reports of capsizing ships and drowning migrants coming from North Africa have become routine. More than 3,231 were reported dead or missing last year alone, according to the UN. Italy has asked NATO and the European Union for help in dealing with the crisis. While population movement is fueled by poverty, political repression, criminal gangs, wars and increasingly climate change, for many families, migration is a sound investment. Remittances from the US to Honduras or from South Africa to Zimbabwe ensure that families back home can survive. For the US, in particular, immigration has long been shaped by images conjured up by “The New Colossus,” the 140-year-old poem by Emma Lazarus at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York, with its exhortation to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” As the election politics play out, though, that seems increasingly like a dream that’s being stifled. — [Karl Maier]( A sign in Spanish protesting the treatment of migrants near the US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 29. Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg Listen to our Twitter Space discussion today at 8am ET (1pm London) on the [renewed tensions in the South China Sea]( and the impact on Asia and the US. Understand power in Washington through the lens of business, government and the economy. [Sign up]( for the new Bloomberg Washington Edition newsletter delivered weekdays. And if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Global Headlines Averting a catastrophic US debt default risks coming down to as few as seven days, underscoring the threat of the partisan impasse in Congress. Between now and June 1 — when the Treasury Department may run out of [sufficient cash]( — Biden and House and Senate members are scheduled to be in town at the same time for the sum total of one week. New sanctions are being prepared by Ukraine’s allies against Russia to [tighten the net]( on President Vladimir Putin’s economy, [Alberto Nardelli]( reports. A key goal of the packages — which will be prepared separately by the EU, US, Japan and Canada but jointly coordinated — will be to close loopholes and tackle sanctions evasion. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a [surprise visit]( to Finland today to join Nordic leaders in discussing efforts to help his country against Russian aggression. - Russia’s oil exports [jumped]( above 4 million barrels a day last week, offering no sign that Moscow has delivered on its threat to cut output, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The transition to clean energy depends on copper, yet analysts at Wood Mackenzie estimate the world will be short about 6 million tons of the metal by the next decade. While exploration has ticked higher of late, spending remains far short of what is required and there are [simply not enough]( new mines. The mood among many Turkish voters is [tilting against]( Recep Tayyip Erdogan and could thwart the president’s reelection bid on May 14. Workers suffering from brutal inflation, young people worried about grim prospects and wavering support among once-steadfast voters from the Turkish diaspora are combining to threaten Erdogan’s grip on power, with polls showing a first-round victory out of reach. - Turkey’s inflation [slowed]( to less than 50% for the first time in over a year, but underlying pressure on prices is rising. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [Turkey’s Election Won’t Make the West’s Dreams Real: Bobby Ghosh]( - Britain Needs a King, Even If It’s Charles III: Max Hastings]( - [‘Godfather’ of AI Should Have Spoken Up Sooner: Parmy Olson]( Amid post-Brexit chaos, a cost-of-living crisis, scandals and policy misfires, the UK’s governing Conservative Party is facing [big losses]( at local elections in England tomorrow. As [Lucy White]( reports, the polls are also a test of whether Labour under leader Keir Starmer has what it takes to get back into power at a general election expected next year. Sunak and Starmer. Source: Bloomberg/Getty Images Explainers You Can Use - [The Country Where Bankers’ Pay Is Booming: Saudi Arabia]( - [What Constitutes a ‘Bailout’? Did US Banks Get One?]( - [COP28 President Al Jaber Seeks End of ‘Fossil Fuel Emissions’]( Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva raised the possibility of using the Shanghai-based New Development Bank established by [BRICS]( countries to help Argentina over its financial crisis. Lula, speaking after talks with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez yesterday, took aim at the International Monetary Fund — which has a $44 billion loan agreement with Buenos Aires — saying he is working “to remove its knife from Argentina’s neck.” - [Read]( how the US ambassador to the UN is using a visit to Brazil to highlight the different approaches Washington and Beijing are taking to investment in the country, in a bid to balance Lula’s tilt to China. Tune in to Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power at 5pm to 6pm ET weekdays with Washington correspondents [Annmarie Hordern]( and [Joe Mathieu](. You can watch and listen on Bloomberg channels and online [here](. News to Note - The Biden administration has decided to [remain quiet]( publicly on what it sees as India’s democratic backsliding, according to senior US officials, as Washington intensifies efforts to keep New Delhi on its side in the rivalry with China. - US House lawmakers are requesting information from Nike, Adidas and at least two other companies on whether they are importing goods produced by [forced labor]( in China. - Hungary’s parliament passed legislation aimed at [de-politicizing]( the courts in an effort to unlock almost half of the funds the EU has blocked over rule of law and corruption concerns. - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged China to reduce the [nuclear threat]( posed by North Korea, responding directly to Beijing’s displeasure over the US ally’s new security agreement with Washington. - Pakistan’s rival political forces [have agreed]( to hold provincial and national elections on the same day, a move that signals a slight concession from Imran Khan, who has been pushing for snap polls. And finally ... Norway’s biggest oil and gas companies are [reviving exploration plans]( in the Arctic waters, as the government agitates for fresh discoveries in the Barents Sea, which is estimated to hold more than 60% of the country’s undiscovered hydrocarbon resources. While exploration success so far has been limited, [Kari Lundgren]( reports that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put Oslo under growing pressure to pump more natural gas to its European neighbors as the continent moves to sever energy ties with Moscow. The Arctic Explorer LNG tanker sits at anchor in a fjord outside Hammerfest in April 2017. Photographer: Mikhael Holter/Bloomberg Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Politics newsletter. 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