Immigration and Foreign Policy: Italy’s Domestic-International Linkage in the Management of Mass Human Movements

Abstract

Especially since the outbreak of the 2014-2015 so-called ‘migration crisis’, immigration policy has come to be frequently regarded as part of Italy’s foreign policy. Although the management of inbound popu-lation movements clearly comprises a relevant external dimension, the relations between immigration and foreign policy are less plain than might appear at first sight. Based on this assumption, the paper examines the domestic-international nexus in Italy’s immigration policy, the association of the latter with foreign policy, and how this process is connected to Italy’s participation in the migration and asy-lum policy system of the European Union (EU). In particular, the article examines the role played by Interior Ministers in bridging the domestic-international divide typical of this policy area, as well as how the country’s participation in the EU migration policy system has backed up this process.