Border Authorities Research Articles

Railway security checks at the border: between intrusive security technologies and fundamental traveller rights.

European railway borders are facing a particular exposure to security threats and need a delicate balance between securitization and free movement, especially amid globalisation, the current geopolitical landscape and increased migrant flows. For example, the war in Ukraine illustrated the challenges experienced at the Eastern EU borders by the refugee migration surge in early 2022. This exploratory focuses on the European border security control process from the rail border perspective. It encompasses a descriptive synthesis of the lessons learned from the UIC Refugee Task Force as well as insights from the ongoing EU-funded Horizon Europe project ODYSSEUS (Unobtrusive Technologies for Secure and Seamless Border Crossing for Travel Facilitation). Project ODYSSEUS aims to support the security and integrity of the European space, reduce illegal movements of people and goods across EU borders, facilitate travelling for citizens all while protecting fundamental rights of travellers. The project will test a combination of multi-behavioural and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant biometric user identity verification tools, allowing, when possible, citizens to cross EU border without any interruption or queue. Further, novel luggage and baggage checks will allow citizens' vehicles and cargos to be remotely checked at land borders to speed up the border check processes in a secure and reliable manner. The project will run three pilot tests at road, rail and water borders. In this paper, we analyse the implementation of project's technologies in the rail border crossing pilot test and discuss the implications for the actors involved in the process of railway border crossing (e.g., border authorities, railway operators and railway travellers).

A Spatial–Seasonal Study on the Danube River in the Adjacent Danube Delta Area: Case Study—Monitored Heavy Metals

Monitoring and protecting flowing watercourses is a complex and challenging task that requires the collaboration and coordination of various stakeholders such as governments, industries, farmers, consumers and environmental groups. The study of the dynamics of the concentration of polluting factors and especially the concentrations of heavy metals and highlighting a seasonal variation is a necessary element from this point of view. In this article, we present the results of our analyses carried out in two measurement campaigns executed in 10 monitoring points along the Danube River, between Braila city and Isaccea city in the pre-deltaic area, during the summer season and autumn season 2022. The importance of this area is given by the fact that the Danube Delta is part of the UNESCO heritage, and the monitoring of polluting factors is a necessity in the desire to protect this area. The data measured during the July and August 2022 campaign cover a wide range of chemical species: Phosphate, CCO, CBO5, NH4+, N-NO2, N-NO3−, N-Total, P-PO4 3−, SO42−, Cl−, phenols, as well as metals with a harmful effect: Al, As, Cd, Cr, Fe. The study includes an evaluation based on the statistical approach of the results to highlight the significant correlations and differences identified between the two data sets. Next, to highlight the obtained results, a numerical model was considered using HEC-RAS and ESRI ArcGIS applications in a two-dimensional unsteady flow model in order to obtain the non-homogenous concentrations’ distributions in the studied area. These two-dimensional models have been less studied in the specialized literature. In this way, interesting results could be obtained, and prediction methods regarding the dynamics of metal concentrations could be structured. The data obtained were used for the terrain model from the USGS service, and the flows of the Danube and its two tributaries were simulated using the data provided by the national services. In this work, we present the results obtained for the dynamics of the concentrations of the metals Al, As, Cd, Cr and Fe and the evaluation of the specific absorption coefficients for the explanation and correlation with the results of the measurements. Except for the numerical model presented, we would like to highlight the existence of some contributions of the main tributaries of the Danube in the study area. Such a systematic study has not been carried out due to conditions imposed by the border authorities. From this point of view, this study has an element of originality. The study is part of a more complex project in which the spatio-temporal distribution of the polluting factors in the water was evaluated, and the habitats in the study area were inventoried—especially those of community interest. In this way, we were able to expose the self-purification capacity of the Danube and highlight the existence of a concentration reduction gradient along the course of the river. The aspects related to the influence of the distribution of polluting factors on the state of health will be the subject of another article.

Railway security checks at the border: between intrusive security technologies and fundamental traveller rights

Background European railway borders are facing a particular exposure to security threats and need a delicate securitization and free movement, especially amid globalisation, the current geopolitical landscape and increased migrant flows. For example, the war in Ukraine illustrated the challenges experienced at the Eastern EU borders by the refugee migration surge in early 2022. Methods This paper will focus on the European border security control process from the rail border perspective. It will encompass the lessons learned from the UIC Refugee Task Force as well as insights from the ongoing EU-funded Horizon Europe project ODYSSEUS (Unobtrusive Technologies for Secure and Seamless Border Crossing for Travel Facilitation). Project ODYSSEUS aims to support the security and integrity of the European space, reduce illegal movements of people and goods across EU borders, facilitate travelling for citizens all while protecting fundamental rights of travellers. Results The project will test a combination of multi-behavioural and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant biometric user identity verification tools, allowing citizens to cross EU border without any interruption or queue. Further, novel luggage and baggage checks will allow citizens’ vehicles and cargos to be remotely checked at land borders to speed up the border check processes in a secure and reliable manner. The project will run three pilot tests at road, rail and water borders. Conclusion In this paper, we analyse the implementation of project’s technologies in the rail border crossing pilot test and discuss the implications for the actors involved in the process of railway border crossing (e.g., border authorities, railway operators and railway travellers).

Боротьба з контрабандою: заходи та виклики

Ukraine, as a modern state, faces the challenge of effectively combating smuggling, which not only leads to significant budget losses but also poses a threat to national security and economic development. This article discusses the key aspects of this problem, from the causes of smuggling of equipment to the low level of incentives for customs officers and the threats they face. The reasons for smuggling are discussed, such as corruption, excessive customs duties and taxes, and imperfect legislation. The article also considers the need for parliamentary and public control over the actions of customs and border authorities, as well as optimization of taxation to ensure effective protection of the domestic market. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of international cooperation, technical support, dog training and public education for the successful fight against smuggling. The article also discusses the problem of low salaries and poor incentives for customs officers, which can jeopardize the effectiveness of the fight against smuggling. The article concludes with a section on possible threats to customs officials and ways to address them, including the possibility of threats, bribery and other negative influences that complicate their work. This article also discusses comprehensive measures such as technical support for customs, the development of a dog service, and the importance of public education for the successful fight against smuggling. The low level of salaries among customs officers and their weak incentives to disclose smuggling schemes are seen as a systemic problem that requires a comprehensive approach and solution. The author analyzes the threats that may be directed at customs officials by smugglers and criminal elements. Scenarios of influence, possible bribery, threats and other negative interactions are discussed in order to ensure effective measures to protect customs and border services. All these aspects interact and influence the success of the fight against smuggling in Ukraine. The article highlights the need for a systematic approach and cooperation of all stakeholders – government agencies, the public and international partners – to create an effective system that minimizes the risks and losses from smuggling.

Confirmation of the Kazakh Khan Nuraly in 1748—1749

The article considers the problems of transformation of imperial policy in the field of symbolic integration of dependent Kazakh rulers into the common political space through the concept of acculturation. During the 18th century, based on the real, extremely limited opportunities to actually keep the Kazakhs in dependence, the Russian border authorities made attempts to exert their influence on the process of election and legitimization of Kazakh khans. The main attention in the article is paid to the institution of khan's power, efforts of Russian administration to change the form and order of election and approval of Kazakh khans by Russian monarchs. An important innovation is the introduction and gradual adoption of a new imperial practice — the confirmation of Kazakh khans by Russian monarchs. A precedent is the confirmation of Khan Nuraly in 1749. Taking into account the generally undeveloped issues related to the very procedure of election and confirmation, it was important to show on the basis of archival and published documents the ritual itself and specific practices. The whole process of confirmation, as the sources show, was carefully designed by the frontier administrators, who attached great importance to it. Although confirmation of Kazakh khans by Russian monarchs was not immediately introduced, as the presence of the Russian Empire in the region increased, the tradition of confirmation was increasingly practiced until the liquidation of the khan's authority in the first decades of the 19th century.

Colonial injustice, legitimate authority, and immigration control

There is lively debate on the question if states have legitimate authority to enforce the exclusion of (would-be) immigrants. Against common belief, I argue that even non-cosmopolitan liberals have strong reason to be sceptical of much contemporary border authority. To do so, I first establish that for liberals, broadly defined, a state can only hold legitimate authority over persons whose moral equality it is not engaged in undermining. I then reconstruct empirical cases from the sphere of international relations in which what I call ‘colonial norms’ continue to play significant structuring roles. I argue that it is sometimes only by unveiling these colonial norms and the roles they play that we can understand how some states today culpably contribute to undermining the moral equality of persons over whom they will come to claim immigration-related authority. I thus contend that paying attention to colonial norms distinctly enables us to reveal a set of instances in which all liberals should agree that states forfeit legitimate authority over would-be immigrants.

Corruption and Bribery at the Border: Strategies of Survival and Adaptation between People Smugglers and Border Enforcement

Border corruption can help facilitate the smuggling of people and irregular migration, but it receives limited attention in academic research. In this article, I explore how smugglers use corruption and bribery to circumvent border restrictions. I focus on the role of bribery in the survival economy of border communities, including migrants, smugglers, and border authorities, and on its role in facilitating cross-border movement. This study draws on extensive ethnographic research conducted on land routes between West Asia and Europe, interviewing smugglers specifically on the Syrian–Turkish border and the Evros border between Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria. My findings indicate that on both borders, smugglers and border guards accommodate each other’s interests in creative collaborative processes. As such, corruption and bribery are not merely illegal practices but rather strategic adaptations in response to harsher border enforcement policies, stemming from specific needs of local border realities.

FEATURES OF PERCEPTION OF THE STATE BORDER IN THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE BORDER POPULATION OF THE BREST AND GOMEL REGIONS (1991–2007)

The article, through the prism of historical sources, examines the measures taken by public administration bodies to work with the population in order to ensure reliable protection of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. The process of evolution of the perception of the State Border of the Republic of Belarus in the public consciousness of the border population of the Brest and Gomel regions is shown. Some proposals are substantiated on the optimal balance between the interests of security and cooperation, the improvement of the legal mechanism for the interaction of border authorities with residents of the border area.

(Dis)possessive Borders, (Dis)possessed Bodies: Race and Property at the Postcolonial European Borders

Abstract There has been a profusion of institutionalized practices of confiscation and destruction of migrants’ belongings during European bordering operations conducted by the police and border authorities. Clothes, shoes, money, food, mobile phones, and even water have been among the items seized by authorities, a practice that exposes migrants to multiple risks. That said, despite the pervasiveness of current (dis)possessive methods, scholars have not yet sufficiently theorized the historical and current links between property, race, and borders. This article argues that such (dis)possessive practices at Europe's borders are not simply another method of governance that emerges at Europe's borderzones. Rather, (dis)possession is seen here as central to the very (post)colonial functioning of the border itself. The argument is, on the one hand, that Europe's borders have been embedded within a (post)colonial and racial capitalist global order predicated upon multifaceted forms of (dis)possession. And, on the other hand, it is claimed that borders themselves have been sites of continual forms of colonial and racial (dis)possession. In so doing, the article shows how (dis)possession has historically allowed Europe to demarcate, reinforce, and police the status of racialized bodies as less than human and property-like, that is, as bodies available for colonial and capitalist consumption.

“Burning Villages”: Leo Katz’s Novels on the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt and the Question of Antisemitism

This article explores the Jewish question in the context of the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt through the novels of the Austrian Jewish communist Leo Katz. Katz witnessed the uprising as a youth from his native village situated on the border between the Habsburg Empire, Romania, and Tsarist Russia. He wrote two novels about the revolt: one in 1940 and the other in 1946. The present study examines the violent clashes that unfolded at the border and how the writer approached the concept of antisemitism in the context of the revolt. Relying mainly on Katz’s personal papers, the article shows that Katz’s understanding of antisemitism was related to his communist beliefs. This changed following debates on antisemitism that he and other German-speaking communists had while in exile in Mexico, where Katz spent most of World War Il. Although Katz includes more details on antisemitism in his second novel, he does not address the anti-Jewish violence perpetrated by the rural masses, which is an aspect otherwise well documented by the Austro-Hungarian border authorities. Katz’s novels are the most comprehensive Jewish narratives on the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt and represent a Jewish intellectual’s struggle to make sense of the rising antisemitism in that tri-border area at the turn of the twentieth century.

Nematode and Acanthocephalan Parasites of Confiscated Sunda pangolins, Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822 (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae), with an Updated List of the Parasites of Pangolins

Background: The Sunda pangolin, Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822, is a critically endangered species of pangolin that occurs from Indonesia to southern China. Knowledge of the biology and ecology of M. javanica is limited, however there have been previous reports of parasites, including nematodes, protozoans, ticks, and a cestode. Methods: An illegal shipment of 88 M. javanica carcasses, originally collected from wild populations throughout southeast Asia, were intercepted by Hong Kong border authorities (AFCD) and confiscated in 2018. Results: During necropsy, two different types of parasites were collected from four infected pangolins. The parasites were identified as the nematode Gendrespirura cf. zschokkei (Meyer, 1896) Chabaud 1958, which were embedded in the stomach wall, and the acanthocephalan, Oligacanthorhynchidae sp., collected from the intestine. Morphological descriptions and molecular characterization for each parasite type is provided. Conclusions: In addition, an updated list of parasites from pangolins, incorporating current taxonomic identifications and publications is presented.

Zwischenfälle im Reichsland: Überschreiten, Polizieren, Nationalisieren der deutsch-französischen Grenze (1887–1914)

The imperial government’s establishment of a border police station in Altmünsterol (Montreux-Vieux), Alsace, on 1 April 1888, marked a milestone in the history of German policing, official and public understandings of national boundaries, and Franco-German relations. The emergence of the border between France and Germany as a material, visible and experienceable phenomenon from 1887 to 1914 is the subject of Sarah Frenking’s monograph, Zwischenfälle im Reichsland. The Reichsland encompassed the territory of Alsace and Lorraine annexed by Germany following the Franco-Prussian War. Unlike other German states, the emperor directly ruled the region. As Frenking adroitly shows through the case of border security, the region’s unique administration and geographic position encouraged its use as a laboratory for programmes later adopted in other parts of the Kaiserreich. Drawing from border- and nation-building studies, Henri Lefebvre’s work, and extensive archival sources, she demonstrates that physical borders and their perception are the product of a complex interplay of actors, discourses, routines, symbolisms, experiences and material objects. The Franco-German border never existed in an ‘open’ or ‘closed’ dichotomy. Instead, its permeability depended on the border crosser’s official classification. Locals and well-documented travellers might experience the national frontier as a minor annoyance or event to mention in a postcard back home, but it was a potentially insurmountable obstacle to ‘undesirable’ individuals, such as suspected spies, foreign soldiers and the itinerant troupes that border authorities referred to collectively as Zigeunerbanden (bands of gypsies). As a result, there was no universal passage experience nor a single form of agency. By focusing her analysis on the Altmünsterol border police station, Frenking aims to illuminate the multifaceted, evolving, transnational and non-linear process through which borders are made, territory is nationalized, public perception is shaped, and the resultant experiences engendered on the ground (pp. 11, 29, 32, 34, 394).

Inward Border: The Multiscalar Production of Borders Amid the COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control on China’s Southwest Border

ABSTRACT Border studies conducted so far have always focused on areas close to or outside the border of a country and rarely on the dynamic process of its inward border. The inward border represents the construction or deconstruction of a country’s internal borders by different agents at different scales. As the city with the highest population mobility on China’s southeast border, Ruili was considered for analyzing China’s inward border amid its border epidemic containment. The analysis revealed that the production of Ruili’s inward border demonstrated distinct multiscalar characteristics. First, an isolated zone was formed owing to the enhanced materialization of Ruili’s border and the interruption in Ruili’s normal contact with the outside world; a contact zone was also created owing to the support provided by the central government to Ruili. Second, border residents’ participation broke the dominance of border authorities in border control. Therefore, Ruili’s border became more resilient with the stable coexistence of isolation and contact.

GENESIS OF COUNTERINTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES OF BORDER AUTHORITIES AND UNITS OF UKRAINE

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the investigation and delineation of counterintelligence powers of border authorities and units of Ukraine in different historical periods, determining the areas of their development. The paper is devoted to the study of historical aspects of the development of counterintelligence activities of border agencies, and national and state security bodies on the territory of Ukraine, in particular, the history of transformation of the relevant units and their powers. It is noted that the study of the history of the establishment and functioning of national special services is of practical importance and can become relevant when adjusting the national security strategy. The purpose of the study is to analyse the historical aspects of the development of counterintelligence activities and counterintelligence measures by border authorities and units on the territory of Ukraine in light of retrospective changes in national special services. The methodology of scientific research included a set of interrelated general scientific and historical and legal methods, namely: chronological – to periodise the development of counterintelligence authorities and units of national special services, and the border guard service; comparative legal analysis – a comparative approach to the past and modern legislation, which determines the authority to carry out counterintelligence activities or conduct counterintelligence measures; structural and functional – to classify the threat system, which is carried out by active measures of the main enemy. Features of the legal status of border authorities and divisions of Ukraine in different historical periods are highlighted. It is indicated on the main counterintelligence methods (measures) that were carried out by authorised state bodies and units, namely: the legendary method of capturing prisoners to be interrogated, first mentioned in the annals of the Kievan Rus and conducted mainly during military campaigns; perlustration (interception) of correspondence and external surveillance, their conduct is most characteristic of the period of the Russian occupation; agent measures, during the first liberation competitions, were consolidated in the legal field by the relevant provision, which specifies the main functions of the army special service of the Ukrainian People's Republic; operational surveillance, legend and operational disinformation (used by both the security service of the organisation of Ukrainian nationalists and Soviet state security agencies). Based on the studies by Ukrainian and foreign researchers, a classification of “active measures” that can be carried out by the aggressor state is presented. The areas of development of the powers of bodies and divisions of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to conduct counterintelligence activities are determined

Managing stakeholder concerns associated with releases of imported stock in insect control programmes.

A commitment to reducing pesticide use and the development of novel technologies are driving a renewed interest in insect-mediated pest and vector control programmes. Such programmes, along with conservation and pollination applications, lead to an increased transport volume of live insect stock. At release sites, concerns surrounding imported insects can be reduced by using local genotypes that have been mass-produced elsewhere. Remaining plausible concerns are likely to be centred on human factors (vector behaviour or capacity) and ecological factors (interacting species) and should be anticipated in the design of communication materials. Well-designed, locally relevant communication and engagement material is an important part of programme success. Stakeholder engagement is thus critical to reducing risks of perceived and plausible concerns affecting programme outcomes in an increasingly electronically connected world. Experience at release sites can help inform the design of accessible information useful at all stages of the transportation pathway. For transnationally transported insects, providing such information to specific stakeholders (e.g. courier companies and border authorities) will reduce the likelihood of delays, which can, in turn, affect the quality and mortality of the transported insects.

Anomie and collaboration in intelligence and operational police and border guard work in the Baltic Sea area: in-group mentality and construction of the other

ABSTRACT The purpose of this ethnographic study is to analyse the collaborative work among intelligence and operative personnel from different border authorities in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. The aim of this article is to illustrate and discuss how transnational/inter-organisational police identities and trust come into being through officers sharing a construction of specific significant ‘other’ – in this case that of ‘Russian spies/crooks’. Cross border collaboration among police organisations is made difficult as police officers tend to be suspicious of outsiders and colleagues that they have not yet worked with. In this study, we explore how trust among a specific group of officers was however built by contrasting themselves against not (just) criminals but an enemy that could be found among them or have an influence over their colleagues, namely Russia or Russian spies. We refer to this category as ‘norm-dissolving Russian’. This category included concepts such as being a spy, a criminal and a potential military threat, and became a sort of ‘Other’ that reinforced their own in-group bonds. Intelligence and operative personnel present in the analysed collaborative sequences create their professional identities by contrasting themselves with these categories. Drawing on ritual theory as well as symbolic interactionism this article discusses how an in-group feeling and idea of a higher moral order was created and re-created during their collaborative work. Morality is thus created and re-created in the encounter with people that are associated with being the ‘enemy’, present in the situation both in physical and invisible form.

КАЗАХИ В ЗОНЕ ИРТЫШСКОГО ФРОНТИРА: ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ ХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ КОЧЕВНИКОВ-СКОТОВОДОВ В НОВОЕ ВРЕМЯ

The article examines the processes of transformation of the economic activity of the 18th–19th centuries Kazakhs, who were in the zone of influence of the Irtysh frontier. The ‘Irtysh frontier’ is understood as a territorial zone where in modern period a chain of Russian military fortifications was located in the lands bordering with the Kazakhs. The article provides the prerequisites for the formation and a brief history of the fortified military line on the Irtysh, which became a springboard for the spread of Russian influence in the Steppe Territory and Central Asia. It also reveals the reasons for conflict situations between Kazakhs-cattle breeders and border authorities. A particular attention is paid to the consequences of the colonial administration restrictions on the migration of Kazakh herders in the lands adjacent to the Irtysh line. The authors consider the facts of “climbs” of the Kazakhs on the right bank of the river, which in the first place was due to the needs of horse breeding farms of the Irtysh Kazakhs. The need for pastures located in the Kulundinsky and Barabinsky steppes became one of the main reasons for the transition to permanent residence on the right bank of the Irtysh of a part of the Kazakhs and their adoption of Russian citizenship. The features of the change in the economy of the Kazakhs, expressed in the transition to semi-sedentary cattle breeding in the development of haymaking and agriculture, are traced. The authors give examples of cultural interaction and mutual influence between the Kazakh and Russian ethnic groups.

La jaula de oro: The Border Crossing Journey as Dream and Reality

Diego Quemada-Díez's La jaula de oro (2013) follows undocumented young migrants on their way from their native Guatemala through Mexico with the intention to cross into the United States. The picture belongs to a large corpus of border-crossing films which explore reasons and desires that make people risk their lives for a place that they know only from hearsay. This article undertakes an intersectional analysis of La jaula de oro, while probing its connection to Latin American socio-critical film and the road movie genre. Images that document complex social and historical realities and which determine power relations along the axis of age, gender and race, are juxtaposed by a visual terminology that has utopian quality. Picturing conditions and limitations of female and Indigenous protagonists who are subject to repression from within the migration group, border authorities, and organized crime groups, La jaula de oro presents the border crossing journey to be lined with danger and violence where the wide horizon keeps holding the promise of a dignified life.

Pregled nezakonitih ulazaka u EU na području Sredozemlja od 2016. do 2021. godine

Pregled nezakonitih ulazaka u EU na području Sredozemlja od 2016. do 2021. godine

INTEGRATED BORDER MANAGEMENT AS A VECTOR TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

This research intends to understand how an integrated border management can contribute to combat illegal immigration in Mozambique, and the evils that come from this irregular entry, as well as the related crimes associated with it. Taking into account the sad events perpetrated by the terrorists in Cabo - Delgado, which has a participation of foreign citizens, it is assumed that some of these citizens have entered illegally or enticed the border authorities to enter Mozambique through illegal means, therefore, it is interesting to understand how the management and control of borders is carried out. It is important to understand how the Mozambican authorities have managed the phenomenon of illegal immigration, even recognizing that some of the borders are porous. The permanent articulation with the various forces involved in border control, in ways that each one of them appropriates illegal immigration, may be the horizon to follow, so that there is no violation of borders, preserving national sovereignty, as efficiency and the effectiveness of the different sectors involved in the border process, can be achieved as long as the different entities that control the border carry out their activities in a coordinated manner, allowing for an ever-increasing flow of commercial transactions. The research is bibliographical, qualitative, using the technique of direct observation, and data provided by the General Directorate of Migration of Mozambique. Keywords: border management, illegal immigration, related crimes, Mozambican Legal Framework