Aligning Fortress Europe with the Rainbow? The Securitization of Migration and LGBTI Asylum Seekers in the European Union.

Abstract: The increase of migration into the European Union, which peaked during the 2015 humanitarian crisis of refugees, has raised concerns about security within nationalist political discourse across the EU. European right-wing populist discourse revolves around a perceived threat to national and European culture and identity, pushing adamantly for restrictions in migration policy, and black-marking asylum seekers as hostile actors. One of the minorities affected by the increased complexity of asylum are LGBTI migrants, whose sole chance at being granted asylum status consists of a credibility assessment of their testimony. Indeed, political discourse on migration now dominates debates and media coverage throughout the 28 member states, polarising the public opinion on a threat to European values and identity, and reiterating the need for increased border control and stricter migration management. This paper suggests that this prioritization of home security has manifested itself profusely in European migration policy, hindering asylum-seeking. Through a critical discourse analysis, this thesis sets out to assess how migration is securitized in the political discourse on immigration in the EU, and how LGBTI applications are assessed in EU asylum law. Applying securitization and queer migration theory, this thesis explores the relationship between LGBTI rights, migration and security, presenting the incongruencies between pro-LGBTI rights stances and migration restrictive policies by European actors. The findings advanced in this thesis conclude that the EU is currently struggling to reconcile principles and security, to balance its founding values regarding plurality and human rights, all the while managing migration and border control.