Abstract
The criminalization and de-criminalization of foreign nationals is performed by the French state through legal and institutional means in order to increase the deportability of unwanted EU citizens. By policing petty criminals and then instrumenting administrative coercion as a form of punishment, France opts to detain, deport and ban the entry of undesirable EU citizens, mostly Romanian citizens. Moreover, under a bilateral state agreement, France also engages Romanian police agents to help identify ‘their own’ nationals. This article uncovers, problematizes and explains the relationship between state (de-)criminalization practices and the forced removal of EU citizens. In doing so, it aims to respond to the following questions: What is the role of the Franco-Romanian police alliance in the criminalization of migration? What are the legal mechanisms advancing the de-criminalization of migration and how do they influence deportation processes? What is the meaning of punishment for EU deportable/deported citizens?
Highlights
France has set in motion an extensive repressive apparatus of policing, incarceration and deportation of non-citizens (Fassin, 2013; Fischer, 2013; Cimade et al, 2012, 2017), deportation relying on international cooperation
The outcome is the maintenance of an oversized deportation apparatus and an ‘implementation surplus’ against Romanian citizens, which results in the policing and deportation of more EU citizens than France’s average deportation of migrants
The qualitative data gathered include participant observations, focus groups and 100 in-depth semi-structured interviews with individuals working alongside the deportation apparatus: civil servants, police officers and non-state agents – for example, lawyers, interpreters, journalists, legal advisers, workers with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Summary
France has set in motion an extensive repressive apparatus of policing, incarceration and deportation of non-citizens (Fassin, 2013; Fischer, 2013; Cimade et al, 2012, 2017), deportation relying on international cooperation. Various forms of state collaboration have been encouraged via a shift in migration management towards policing, control and surveillance of aliens (Block, 2012; Ellermann, 2008; El Qadim, 2014).. Various forms of state collaboration have been encouraged via a shift in migration management towards policing, control and surveillance of aliens (Block, 2012; Ellermann, 2008; El Qadim, 2014).1 One of these political alliances is the Franco-Romanian bilateral police agreement, which allows Romanian police officers to work together with French police agents in the French. Within the framework of deportation mechanisms (Bosworth et al, 2018; Drotbohm and Hasselberg, 2015), bilateral police collaboration sheds light on how two states agree to apply exceptional measures to vulnerable, poor and racialized EU citizens who are disproportionately affected by administrative sanctions, especially deportation. This article aims to show the ways in which the declared goal of deportation conceals and facilitates procedures that are punitive in character and directed at undesirable mobile EU citizens
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