Migration

Migration and Integration: Lessons from Turkey and Mexico

Turkey and Mexico? What do they have in common when it comes to migration? More than you might think. These are two countries that evolved from being migrants’ countries of origin to transit countries and, ultimately, to destination countries. Both are situated at a key geographical juncture between poor and rich regions, although in terms of income they now lie almost exactly in the middle and are already members of the OECD, an organization of developed nations.

Both countries became destination countries for migrants at roughly the same time, not least because their wealthy neighbors—the EU and the U.S., respectively—refused to take in any more migrants, leaving many stranded in Mexico and Turkey, respectively. The EU did, at least, provide financial support to Turkey to help care for the migrants. The U.S. under Trump, on the other hand, has largely left Mexico to deal with the problem on its own.

Both countries have now tried out interesting approaches to integrating migrants into their societies. Given the very limited resources available for social assistance, economic integration is a high priority, and starting one’s own business is playing an increasingly important role in this regard. Since 2025, the offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Turkey and Mexico have been conducting a dialogue project to exchange experiences and draw joint lessons.

We have since incorporated experiences from Germany and the U.S. as well. Our short film summarizes the most important insights and also puts a face to these migrant entrepreneurs. Amid all the discussions surrounding migration and the resulting challenges, we should never lose sight of the fact that most migrants want to make the most of their lives, and that this energy and willingness to venture into something entirely new can enrich host societies—especially when the focus is on achieving successful economic integration as quickly as possible.