Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian asylum-seekers and around 400,000 foreigners from other countries, making it the world's largest refugee host country. With the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the AKP's 'open door policy' initiated a mass migration to Turkey.&nbsp;Although the government's open-door policy has initially legitimised in public opinion with the 'Ansar-muhajir' discourse, the economic crisis has increased social unrest persistently. And the number of refugees has increased with illegal immigrants from Asian countries, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan, making irregular migration one of the most significant agenda items.&nbsp;Since the beginning of mass migration from Syria, the Turkish government has failed to produce any concrete integration or migration policy. And it has constantly shifted the phenomenon of migration to an ideological ground by using the 'Ansar-muhajir' rhetoric has paved the way for the strengthening of anti-immigrant movements and increasing unrest in society.At this point, it is noteworthy to understand what the 'Ansar-muhajir' discourse means. In the early Islamic period, those who migrated to Medina due to the increasing persecution and oppression in Mecca has called muhajir, while the Muslims from Medina who helped those who migrated from Mecca were called Ansar. President Erdoğan and AKP politicians' use of this discourse on Syrian refugees is closely related to the government's support for the Muslim Brotherhood movement in the Middle East during the Arab Spring and its attempt to position itself as the leader of the Islamic world. By calling Syrian asylum-seekers muhajir, the AKP's image as 'the protector of the Islamic world who protects Muslims fleeing persecution' was reinforced.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Rising anti-immigrant sentiment and the ZaferVictory Party</h3>While the open door policy has deliberately maintained within the framework of the government's ideological line and political-economic preferences, the failure of the opposition parties to develop a policy proposal and discourse on this issue caused the social unrest over irregular migration to shift to a radical ground. Taking advantage of the rising anti-immigrant sentiments in society and the vacuum in politics, Ümit Özdağ, a former MHP and İYİP member, founded the Zafer Party, which is the Turkish example of the radical right-wing parties rising in Europe. Although the Zafer Party has a vote share of around 2-3% in the polls conducted so far, it has brought social unrest about immigrants to the political agenda and forced both the government and the opposition to develop discourse and policies in this field. It can be said that the Zafer Party has a political impact far beyond its low vote share.In a survey conducted by MetroPoll Research in August 2021, 81.7% of respondents said that 'Asylum-seekers should go back to their countries.' The fact that those who want asylum-seekers to return to their countries have a very high rate among voters who support both the ruling and opposition parties shows that social unrest over migrants has spread throughout society.The government's failure to implement a true policy and the opposition parties to produce an impactful discourse on an issue that has caused so much unrest in society has also led to the radicalisation of discontent. With the impact of the economic crisis, both the rise in inflation and the increase in unemployment directed the social anger against the crisis towards migrants. Özdağ's statement that immigrants are the cause of almost all economic and political problems resonates with a significant part of the public. Worsening living conditions, increasing political repression, and social violence are strengthening radical ideas. And it reveals negative opinions about immigrants who cannot integrate into Turkey.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Zafer Party also influences the opposition</h3>This situation forces other political parties to develop discourse and policies in this area. Especially Ümit Özdağ's effective use of social media and his visits to the cities where immigrants live in large numbers have brought to the surface the anti-immigrant sentiment that has been steadily increasing for ten years. In the past ten years, irregular migration did not become the main item of the political agenda, even though there were incidents of mass violence such as the one in Altındağ.At this point, the economic crisis deeply affecting all segments of society and the intensifying competition between the parties with the 2023 elections just around the corner necessitates concrete steps to be taken on what the public sees as the two most important problems: the economy and irregular migration. In recent days, DEVA Party and Gelecek (Future) Party, whose leader Ahmet Davutoğlu is a former prime minister and once had a close relationship with Erdoğan, announced their migration policies, indicating that the opposition parties are trying to take the political initiative on irregular migration from the Zafer Party. Although both parties propose various integration policies on migration, the overriding theme in their action plans is the immediate removal of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from Turkey. The following statements stand out in the DEVA Party's migration policy:'With the establishment of security in Syria, we will end the temporary protected status of Syrians. Upon termination of their temporary protection status, Syrians will be required to leave Turkey within a certain period. We will ensure a safe and dignified return without causing victimisation. Until Syrians leave our country, we will make issues such as residence, work, education, and health services in Turkey rule-based.'The Gelecek Party also announced the 'Irregular Migration Problem and Solution Proposals under the Reason of the State and the Conscience of the Nation: The Future Model,' the Gelecek Party emphasises issues such as 'short-term and urgent repatriation planning and immediate implementation, the establishment of full border security, uncompromising and consistent implementation of applicable legislation, and initiation of a new understanding of cooperation with regional/international actors' as a short-term and urgent solution proposal.CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has repeatedly said that migrants will be repatriated after the change of government. This attitude shows that the opposition parties are appealing to the anti-immigrant sentiments that the Zafer Party keeps on the agenda and ignoring long-term and realistic migration and integration policies.The Zafer Party not only brings the problem of irregular migration to the center of the political agenda but also focuses both the government and the opposition on the idea of sending migrants back rather than more realistic and moderate integration policies. It shows the success of a radical right-wing political party in drawing all political parties to its radical line.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">The rise of secular nationalism</h3>The problems created by the economic and political crisis in Turkey have strengthened anti-immigrant sentiments, while longer-term ideological shifts in society are forcing political parties to articulate radical ideas on irregular migration. One of the most significant sociological changes Turkish society has experienced in the last 20-30 years is the rise of a new nationalist ideology defined as secular nationalism.Following the 1980 military coup, the key ideology of the new political regime, the Turkish-Islamic synthesis, underwent an ideological transformation and evolved into a secular nationalism with the urbanisation of the Turkish population, the deepening integration of the younger generations with the world, the increase in the number of university educated people and the adoption of a more secular lifestyle. In this new nationalist ideology, the consciousness of Turkishness in the previous version of the Turkish-Islamic synthesis remained more dominant, and the emphasis on Islam decreased, creating a new synthesis that was more integrated with the world and more secular.The nationalist and idealist politics represented by the MHP gained representation in the İYİP after the party formed a coalition with the AKP and adopted a more Islamist line. The political rise of the İYİP and the adoption of secular nationalism by a significant segment of society diminished the influence of Islamic discourses in politics, while nationalist rhetoric gained strength. The strengthening of secular nationalism can be seen as one of the reasons why the AKP's 'Ansar-muhajir' discourse on immigrants lost its influence over time. The ideology of the Zafer Party, which embraces a purely radical Turkish nationalism, finds support at the grassroots against Islamist discourses on irregular migration. Aware of this ideological transformation, opposition parties are also emphasising 'repatriation' policies supported by nationalist groups while putting more realistic and long-term integration policies on the back burner in migration policies.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Radicalisation of the center</h3>The rise of the Zafer Party and the radical right cannot be evaluated independently of the rising anger against immigrants in society. On the other hand, it is an undeniable fact that the lack of a central party in Turkish politics has opened a political space for radical right parties. The social dynamics that prepared the rise of radical right parties in many European countries, especially in France, Hungary, and Italy, have been observed in Turkey for a long time.The government's inability to produce any solutions and policies against the political, economic, and social problems caused by the arrival of 4-5 million foreign asylum-seekers in a short time and without any program, increases social anger and paves the way for radical movements. The failure of the opposition parties to implement discourses and policies that can remedy the growing unrest in society creates an opportunity for a radical right-wing party founded a year ago to set the political agenda, forcing both the government and the opposition to produce radical policies and discourses on irregular migration. The government's failure and the opposition's incompetence on migration induce even the most vital issues for the country's future to be discussed around radical ideas.

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