Sovereignty and international labor migration: The ‘security mentality’ in Spanish–Moroccan relations as an assertion of sovereignty

Abstract

ABSTRACT The increasing injection of security imperatives into migration policy has presented countries with a new form of sovereignty assertion. In this regard, the politics of ‘securitization’ provides a useful theoretical bridge across two literatures – one focusing on the character of sovereignty and the other devoted to understanding international labor migration, more often situated in the international political economy subfield. Approaching migration politics with a ‘security mentality’ is part of an effort by policymakers and citizens to respond to dynamics that are perceived to threaten a country's sovereign status and societal security. Whether it has served to truly enhance border control and deepen sovereignty claims is a matter of sharp debate, but the symbolic politics associated with the injection of security has gone far to enhance sovereignty claims and justify border control. The case of the Moroccan–Spanish ‘migration system’ illustrates the manner in which post-Franco Spain has used migration politics to assert sovereignty claims vis-à-vis Morocco, deepen the country's sense of societal security, and affirm its status as a full member of the European space.