NEW YORK—The United States and the European Union project themselves as models for the world when it comes to democracy and human rights. Yet a common issue—migration—is bitterly dividing each of them, testing whether they can maintain solidarity amid virulent debate over border controls, deportations, and national values.
In the 28-nation EU, some countries have sought to block the unprecedented flow of migrants fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa, while Germany—the EU’s powerhouse—is bracing to handle 800,000 migrants this year and wants other nations to step up as well.
In the United States, the influx of immigrants entering illegally has eased recently, but the political rhetoric is red-hot. Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, is calling for mass deportation of millions of immigrants living in the United States without legal permission, and some of his rivals have joined in proposing to stop granting citizenship to children born to such immigrants and to wall off the U.S.–Mexico border.
In Europe, the future of the EU’s passport-free internal borders is now in question, and a rising death toll adds to the sense of urgency. More than 2,800 migrants have died this year trying to reach Europe, mostly at sea, according to the International Organization for Migration; the decomposing bodies of 71 migrants were found Aug. 27 in an abandoned truck near Vienna, apparently after suffocating.
