Immigration, despite being a matter not devolved to Holyrood, has been part of campaigns. This is because some parties use it to feed wider anxieties about housing, jobs, public services and identity.
Most of Scotland’s political parties are comfortable supporting the “good migrant” – NHS nurses, engineers, scientists, international students or seasonal workers. Far fewer defend asylum seekers, undocumented migrants or family reunion rights. A hierarchy of deservingness can emerge: migrants are welcomed when economically useful, yet become politically expendable when portrayed as costly or controversial.
Scotland cannot be complacent in its self-image. Years of anti-Irish prejudice, racism towards minority ethnic communities, and longstanding discrimination against Gypsy and Traveller communities tell their own story. Matters of economic insecurity and contested identities can be converted into anti-migrant rhetoric.
Immigration matters in Scotland because the country is vulnerable to the same pressures seen elsewhere. But ultimately, migrants should not be used as political cover for deeper failures of policy and governance.