Impacts of Political Discourse on Vulnerable Migrant and Refugee Communities: Comparative Media Analysis in Brazil, Mexico and Japan

抄録

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached 131.5 million cases and over 2.8 million deaths worldwide, as of April 2021. It has plunged the global community into the most significant economic depression in modern history. The responses by political leadership have primarily been to implement containment measures, supplement healthcare systems, and mitigate economic losses. Development and progress toward achieving the SDGs has not only been halted, but in some cases reversed for some communities. This paper will focus on the impact of balancing considerations of national security and human security in political discourse and policy for vulnerable migrant and refugee communities in Brazil, Mexico, and Japan, three countries with contrasting historical and political stances on migration. In some cases, COVID-19 has created legitimacy for more nationalistic regimes to launch discriminatory protectionist measures, which have impacted the vulnerable who have been prevented from accessing much needed support networks. This paper will explore, through comparative media analysis, how the political discourse by Brazilian, Mexican, and Japanese leadership has amplified the vulnerabilities of certain migrant and refugee communities in their countries during COVID-19.