Secure Borders, Safe Haven: A contradiction in terms?

Abstract

This article discusses the British government's White Paper on immigration Secure Borders, Safe Haven, 2002. This claims to be a “modern approach” to immigration, but it is argued it contains more continuities with the past than new departures. The article focuses on inclusion, arguing that inclusion is reserved for those deemed “deserving” – by virtue of their skills or ability to meet strict criteria for refugee status – while more rigid exclusion is proposed for the “underserving”. Exclusion is addressed at three levels: firstly the impact of punitive policies towards asylum-seekers on arrival in Britain on the possibility of finding a “safe haven”; secondly, the impact of “secure borders” and accompanying discourses of threat on the safety of asylum-seekers and others perceived as “other”; thirdly, the broader exclusions inherent in a system of entry controls, which allow some to reach a “safe haven” while excluding others.