Left Out: How Political Ideology Affects Support for Migrants in Colombia

Do perceptions of migrants' politics affect their reception? The overlap between ethnicity and partisanship often makes it difficult to disentangle the role of political identity. We leverage a case in which migrants come from a similar language and religious background to isolate the role of political perceptions. We draw on a unique survey of 1,000 Colombian citizens and 1,600 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia to establish the extent of political misperceptions and their effects on migrant reception. Colombians view Venezuelan migrants as left-wing even though actual Venezuelan migrants are more right-wing than their Colombian hosts. In a conjoint experiment, we find that Colombians oppose the settlement of left-wing migrants in their communities, and political views matter more than race, skill, or humanitarian need. These findings point to overlooked political tensions around migration, which may intensify as migrants gain voting rights and politicians reinforce migrant stereotypes for electoral gain.