Micro Management Of Irregular Migration

This open access book provides an analysis of the functioning, consequences and inherent limitations of internalised immigration control. By adopting the perspective of irregular residents as well as local service providers, the book sheds new light on the intricate mechanisms that either help or hinder the diffusion of immigration control into concrete institutional settings, like schools or hospitals. A simple and innovative analytical framework enables the systematic comparison of three different spheres of service provision across two distinct local as well as also national contexts. This is necessary to understand the complex interplay between formal law and policy, the intrinsic rules and logics operating within institutions, and the ethical or practical obligations and constraints attached to particular roles and professions. Based on empirical findings and rigorous analysis, the book argues that internalised control is part of the problem that irregular migration poses for society, rather than constituting a potential solution to it.

This open access short reader provides an introduction to the theoretical debates regarding irregular migration and aims to bridge these theoretical debates to current empirical developments. It defines irregular migrants and irregular migration by discussing the wide variety of definitions and highlights the reasons for the presence of irregular immigrants in developed countries. The book provides an overview of the variation in policies regarding irregular migrants and elaborates on how irregular migration is facilitated and supported. It discusses the trends and dynamics between border enforcement, human smuggling/trafficking, and on the support irregular migrants obtain by citizens and civil society while residing in the EU. Last but not least, the book also focuses on the agency and political mobilization of irregular migrants. As such, it provides a great resource for everyone interested in learning more about irregular migration.

Includes statistics.

This open access book provides an alternative theoretical framework of irregular migration that allows to overcome many of the contradictions and theoretical impasses displayed by the majority of approaches in current literature. The analytical framework allows moving from an interpretation biased by methodological nationalism, to a more general systemic interpretation. It explains irregular migration as a structural phenomenon or contemporary society, and why state policies are greatly ineffective in their attempt to control irregular migration. It also explains irregular migration as a diversified phenomenon that relates to the social characteristics of the context, and why states accept irregular migrants. By providing new comparative, empirical, qualitative material which allows to start filling an evident gap in the current research on irregular migration, this book is of interest to graduate students, scholars and policy makers.

A new era of international migration has been accompanied by increasingly restrictive immigration controls to manage migration to more developed countries. The consequence has been fewer routes to enter and/or stay in countries in a regularised way and as a result, an increase in the numbers of undocumented migrants. In this situation undocumented migrants, especially in relation to immigration controls and internal security have come to occupy an important role on the policy agenda of many nation states. The control and regulation of undocumented migrants has become an increasingly politicised issue. This edited collection brings together cutting edge scholarly research papers to explore undocumented migration at the international, national and individual levels. Starting with an overview of the literature on undocumented migration this book explores some of the key areas of research and policy in this area. This includes the making of undocumented migrants, the journey and processes, experiences of being undocumented at the individual level, collective action and return. This fascinating book explores the many facets of undocumented migration and of being an undocumented migrant in different geographical contexts that include Europe, Southern Africa, Central America and North America. This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

The objective of this monograph is to review the cost-effectiveness of both external and internal migration-control instruments in selected countries. In 2002, five industrial countries - the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK - spent about US$ 17 billion to enforce immigration laws and to care for asylum seekers, about two-thirds as much as they provided in Official Development Assistance. It may be argued that if countries targeted by irregular migration flows were to foster trade, investment and aid in the countries of origin, migration pressures could be expected to gradually decline, though programmes to promote local socio-economic development able to encourage potential migrants to remain in their home countries can yield neither predictable nor quick results. There are no easy ways to narrow the gap between migration management objectives and the actual results achieved. The key to success posits the setting of realistic goals, co-ordinated migration management within and across countries and the continuing monitoring and revision of appropriate policy instruments since migrants, smugglers and others involved in the migration system tend to adjust their tactics and strategies very rapidly to such changes. (IOM Website)

Irregular Migration is an extremely timely and topical book, analysing the fundamental tensions at the core of present attempts to manage the movement of population in today's world. Recent events around the globe have prompted a reappraisal of the emerging consensus on migration control. Business demands free movement while nations fear unregulated population flows. The replacement of immigration control with migration management is the aim of First World governments as irregular migration challenges states' attempts to find a balance between recruitment of labour, humanitarian protection and national security. This book provides a theoretical framework for the analysis of mobility and border crossings in an age of globalisation. It draws upon the authors' pioneering research on people working in the UK without proper immigration status, the organisations that support immigrants, and the responses of control agencies and public services. Losers in the global economy, who vote with their feet as economic migrants, are making a claim to justice as well as trying to improve their standards of living. The book concludes with an evaluation of the justification for border controls, and of the prospects for migration regimes under conditions of growing inequality.This fascinating book will be warmly welcomed by academics and researchers in economics, politics, migration studies, social policy and economic geography. NGOs and policymakers concerned with immigration, asylum and public service provision will also find this invaluable reading.

Includes statistics.