The role of migration in the United Kingdom's EU referendum

Abstract

Immigration has been one of the most controversial issues both before and after the United Kingdom's referendum on whether or not to leave the European Union also known as Brexit. However the function of the discourse on immigration during the referendum process shows that immigration is not limited to the problem of refugees. Debates on immigration include the status of immigrants already living in the UK the status of other EU citizens working in the UK the post-Brexit situation of British citizens living in other EU countries and the threat of increasing xenophobia. This study analyses the contexts and ways in which the immigration issue was used during the referendum process by examining these debates before and after the referendum. © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.