IMPLICATIONS OF PUBLIC AND POLITICAL DISCOURSE ON MIGRATION FOR SOCIAL WORK - Implicaciones del debate público y político sobre las migraciones en el Trabajo Social

Introduction. International migration has taken on a central role in European political agendas and institutional debate, a trend that has intensified with the rise of security-oriented discourses driven by the far right. This discursive shift not only directly impacts migrants but also presents growing challenges for social work professionals, particularly in relation to social cohesion. This study analyzes political discourse on migration in two European regional contexts (Andalusia [Spain] and Tuscany [Italy]) with the aim of identifying how institutional narratives about migrants are shaped in settings marked by increasing political polarization. Methods. A mixed-methods approach is used, combining longitudinal content analysis with critical discourse analysis (CDA), integrating both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. In the Andalusian case, 270 plenary session transcripts (from the 10th and 11th legislatures, 2015–2022) are analyzed. In Tuscany, parliamentary debates on reception laws from 2009 and 2019 are examined. This methodology enables the identification of thematic patterns, the frequency of key terms, and implicit meanings in institutional interventions. Results. Findings reveal an intensification of parliamentary debate on migration, especially following the entry of the far right into the Andalusian Parliament. There is a noticeable shift toward a securitarian narrative that constructs the migrant as a threat, displacing a rights- and inclusion-based approach in favor of discourses centered on control, irregularity, and emergency. In Tuscany, while the shift is less abrupt, tensions are also evident between inclusive and restrictive positions. In both regions, these discursive evolutions contribute to the symbolic criminalization of migrants. Discussion and conclusions. The shift of political language toward securitarian and suspicious frames directly affects public perceptions of migration, undermining the legitimacy of reception policies and weakening rights-based social intervention. This phenomenon compromises the role of social work as an agent of inclusion and social transformation, generating a hostile institutional environment that limits professional action and deepens the exclusion of migrant groups. This study offers a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective on the reconfiguration of institutional discourse on migration in European contexts affected by the rise of the far right. Its findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen a critical professional praxis committed to human rights and capable of countering exclusionary narratives. For social work, understanding and responding to these discursive shifts is essential to upholding its ethical mission in increasingly unequal and polarized societies.