Border Control Research Articles

Assessing exit screening of SARS-CoV-2 in Japan: an analysis of the airport screening data of passengers from the United Kingdom, 2020–2022

BackgroundJapan implemented strict border control measures and all incoming passengers were subject to entry screening with reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction or antigen testing. From late 2020, exit screening within 72 h of departure to Japan also became mandatory. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the exit screening policy in Japan by analyzing airport screening data from October 2020 to April 2022.MethodsIn addition to assessing entry screening data over time of passengers from the United Kingdom, we examined the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United Kingdom based on the Office of National Statistics infection survey. We constructed a statistical model that described entry screening positivity over time using Office of National Statistics prevalence data as the explanatory variable. Ideally, the time-dependent patterns of entry screening and Office of National Statistics prevalence data should resemble each other; however, we found that, sometimes, they were different and regarded the difference to statistically partly reflect the effectiveness of exit screening.ResultsThe average proportion positive in one month before mandatory exit screening was implemented among Japanese passengers was 0.67% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45, 0.98), whereas the proportion positive decreased to 0.49% (95% CI: 0.21, 1.15) in the first month of exit screening. Adjusting for time-dependent prevalence at the origin, we concluded that exit screening contributed to reducing passenger positivity by 59.3% (95% CI: 19.6, 81.3). The overall positivity values among passengers during the Delta and Omicron variant periods were 3.46 times and 1.46 times that during the pre-Delta variant period, respectively.ConclusionsWe used a simplistic statistical model and empirical data from passengers arriving in Japan from the United Kingdom to support that exit screening helped to reduce the proportion positive by 59%. Although the proportion positive later increased considerably and precluded preventing the introduction of imported cases, submitting a certificate for a negative test result contributed to reducing the positivity among travelers.

Security-centric approach in the use of digital technologies in EU migration and asylum policies

ABSTRACT The rapid evolution of digital technology, particularly in the domain of surveillance and identification, has brought forth a multitude of implications for the European Union’s approach to migration, asylum and border control. The use of digital technologies at the EU's external borders has emerged as a critical point of contention. By referring to ‘security-centric approach’ to describe the expansion of national security-related uses of digital technologies in migration and asylum, the article unveils the extent to which security considerations have permeated the use of digital technologies in this area. The analysis aims to demonstrate the predominance of this security focus and only a marginal role of efficiency, convenience and market needs objectives in the use of digital technologies in EU migration, asylum and border control policies.

Bye bye Moria: escape commons vs policies of military campization

Over the period from 2013 to 2020, the Moria camp in the island of Lesvos became synonymous with the exclusionary border control policies of the Greek state and the European Union. During the summer of 2020, most Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted and Lesvos opened to tourists, while the Moria camp remained in lockdown. On the night of 8 September, the camp was set on fire and its residents escaped in a nearby area where they self-organized a makeshift settlement. The escape was followed by days of riots with police forces, and ended with the violent enclosure of the people in a new camp. The paper builds on critical migration scholarship and proposes the concepts of escape commons and military campization in order to conceptualize the commoning practices in moments of escape and the way they are susceptible to state migration policies which increasingly take the form of military management.

Have we (really) done enough? Strengthening “outcome responsibility” in assessing moral duties toward refugees of protracted crises

ABSTRACT This article seeks to advance the discussions on our moral obligations towards refugees of protracted crises by proposing a nuanced application of outcome responsibility. Differentiating causal and outcome responsibility through intention, involvement, and side-taking principles has both symbolic and practical significance in assigning reparative and remedial duties. The framework utilizes domestic analogies to help explain the refined version of these two responsibility types. It examines the Syrian crisis within this paradigm to offer a clearer understanding of the actors that are ‘morally obligated and more likely’ to help. This argument addresses political communities instead of their states, emphasizing their pivotal role as bearers of the consequences of state decisions. Employing an outcome responsibility-based sense of ethical duty (ORSED) can foster more inclusive and welcoming environments, mitigating resentment regardless of border controls or burden allocation.

Administrative control mechanisms in the descent-based family reunification of refugees

ABSTRACT Since it establishes differentiated socio-legal eligibility categories among different migrant groups, family reunification constitutes a prime example of the internal border. In my article, I investigate how the border is produced and negotiated in the context of family reunification of refugee children and parents by focusing on discretionary practices of German immigration bureaucracy through the lens of counselling actors in the city. Taking the city of Frankfurt am Main as my research site, I identify ignorance, verification, and temporalization as three administrative control mechanisms over descent-based refugee families. I argue that family reunification constitutes a highly selective and culturalized field of border control, in which refugee families are filtered according to their conformity to a certain family norm and European bureaucratic standards. By examining how counselling actors understand administrative practice, I also discuss how they respond to it, including their own participation in de- and (re-)bordering.

Mobile spaces of control and moral geographies: places of internal bordering, immorality and crime in Sweden

ABSTRACT This paper – based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2017 with the Swedish border police force in charge of detecting and deporting irregularised migrants – analyses bordered urban space. It contributes to discussions about moral geographies that are produced through bordering work of border police officers, which sometimes blurs the distinction between external and internal border controls, based on an analysis of three spaces: the port as an “in-between” space of bordering; workplace inspections; and searches of private homes and other types of accommodation, conducted with the aim of detecting morally censured sex work. As I find, officers function as gatekeepers of the nation and its moral values in relation to space and thus map the area of their jurisdiction according to potentially “illicit” conduct of noncitizens. This, in turn, legitimises their gendered, classed and racialised inspection practices even as these practices entrench the perceived “otherness” of such spaces and manifest moral judgements.

Commodifying Passage: Ethnographic Insights into Migration, Markets, and Digital Mediation at the Darién Gap and Mexico–Guatemala Border

This paper examines transit migration through the Darién Gap and the Mexico–Guatemala border, focusing on the commodification of migration, the transformative role of digital platforms, and the socio-economic impacts on local economies. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted from 2021 to 2023, we explore how migration has evolved into a commodified journey where services and safety are bought and sold, often exploiting migrants’ vulnerabilities. We analyze how digital platforms have become essential tools for navigation and community building among migrants, yet also introduce new risks and inequalities. Our findings highlight the dual nature of local economic adaptations, which both capitalize on and are reshaped by the migratory flows, leading to significant economic and social transformations. The paper argues for a reevaluation of migration policies that integrates these elements and supports a migration governance framework that prioritizes human dignity and rights. Through exposing these dynamic and interlinked phenomena, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of migration that goes beyond traditional paradigms of border security and control, advocating for policies that are just, equitable, and respectful of human experiences and challenges.

Changing trends in injury patterns of undocumented migrants along the Hungarian–Serbian border from 2018 to 2022

ObjectiveThe Traumatology Clinic of the University of Szeged is a level one Trauma center situated near the Hungarian - Serbian border, where a 4 m tall fence constructed in 2018 serves as a barricade leading to numerous trauma cases. The objective of this study is to characterize the epidemiology of injuries, challenges, and recent trends whilst treating these undocumented migrants in Hungary. Materials and methodsA national retrospective mono-centrical study was performed, examining 982 patients who were admitted to the emergency trauma center in the University of Szeged between January 2018 and December 2022, using data from our electronic administrative system (eMedSol). Factors such as basic epidemiology, country of origin, fractures- according to the AO classification- and its respective treatments, mechanism of injury, duration of stay, and costs were assessed to set as a basis for prediction using a regression model. ResultsA total of 982 patients from 2018 to 2022 were included in the study. Patterns of injury included calcaneal fractures in 2018 and 2019 whereas in 2021 and 2022 along with the exponential increase in patient number, bilateral calcaneal fractures, open and multi-fragmentary tibial fractures were also observed. Additionally, seasonal variations, favoring the months of September through November were observed. Treatment cost ratios, especially surgeries, have also been consistent with the pattern of proximalizing injuries; more proximal surgeries indicate higher surgical costs which is evidently visible in the significantly higher cost ratio dedicated to surgery in 2022. ConclusionWhile migration seems to be a global problem affecting governments and citizens alike, rarely do we understand the direct consequences of illegal migration affecting healthcare services. Hungary in particular created a 4 m tall wall between Serbia in 2019 with means of preventing illegal migration, which in turn led to gradual and later an exponential increase in the number of injured patients particularly in the years 2021 and 2022. Undocumented migrant cases have increased exponentially between 2018 and 2022, with certain patterns seen not only in the injury types but also in seasonal variations and cost expectations. Injuries have been showing a trend of proximalization and have been of more serious quality, including bilateral and/or open injuries. Revisions after surgery were virtually impossible due to the discharging of patients back to border control after their definitive treatment. The need for adequate quality surgical care, manpower and financial aid should be considered.

Phylogenetic analyses and antigenic characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus PanAsia lineage circulating in China between 1999 and 2023

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most important transboundary animal diseases caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), leading to significant economic losses worldwide. The first report of PanAsia lineage of FMDV in China was in 1999. Since 2011, 18 outbreaks attributed to PanAsia lineage viruses have been reported across 7 provinces or municipality in China. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these PanAsia strains were clustered into three distinct clades (clade 1, clade 2, and clade 3), with nucleotide homology ranging from 91.4% to 100%. The outbreaks of FMD caused by clade 1 strains occurred around 1999 when this lineage was prevalent globally. Clade 2 strains dominated from 2011 to 2013, while clade 3 strains were prevalent during 2018–2019, sharing only 93% homology with clade 2 strains and 91% with clade 1 strains. Tracing analysis showed that these outbreaks represented 3 distinct introductions of PanAsia viruses into China. Virus neutralization tests (VNT) have demonstrated that current commercial vaccines are effective to protect susceptible animals against these strains (r1 ​> ​0.3). However, the growing demand for livestock has promoted animal movement and encouraged the exchange of products, services, and materials between countries, thereby heightening the risk of exotic strain incursions. Therefore, it is imperative to reinforce border controls and limit animal movements among various Asian countries continually to reduce the risk of new transboundary diseases, such as FMD incursion. Additionally, PanAsia-2 strains need to be taken seriously to prevent its incursions, and the relevant vaccines against PanAsia-2 strains need to be stockpiled in preparation for any possible incursion.

The impact of intellectual property rights and the level of information sensitivity on information security in the United Arab Emirates

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technological innovation, the safeguarding of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) emerges as a critical factor influencing economic growth and technological advancement. This study, conducted in the context of organizations operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), meticulously explores the intricate dynamics between IPR awareness, enforcement, and their implications for information security practices. The research undertakes a thorough investigation with three primary objectives: a comprehensive examination of IPR awareness, an exploration of the relationship between IPR enforcement and information security practices, and an assessment of the impact of information sensitivity. To achieve these objectives, a sample population of 150 respondents from various sectors was engaged, employing a combination of survey instruments and robust statistical analyses. The findings of the study illuminate a strong positive correlation between IPR awareness and information security practices, underscoring the pivotal role of cultivating IPR awareness among organizations. Furthermore, the enforcement of IPR, intricately connected with a resilient legal framework, regulatory authorities, international agreements, and effective customs and border control measures, is identified as a significant influencer of information security practices. The study employs a statistical model that exhibits a high explanatory power, elucidating approximately 85.9% of the variance in information security practices. In conclusion, the research offers profound implications for organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders in the UAE, advocating for strategies such as education, legal and regulatory support, international collaboration, and robust access control mechanisms to fortify IPR awareness, enforcement, and information security practices. The integration of advanced tools such as the smart PLS software adds depth and reliability to the study’s analytical framework, contributing to its comprehensive insights.

Methodological improvements for studying face matching in border control tasks

AbstractBorder control officers must decide whether passport images match their holders. In previous research on passport verification most participants have been more willing to report nonmatching passports than is likely to occur in practice. We designed an experimental paradigm to increase participants' motivation to avoid these types of errors in passport verification. Participants decided whether passport photographs matched ambient photographs of passport holders. Most passports matched their holders and nonmatching passports were rare. All participants received feedback on their passport verification decisions, and an experimental group also received a time‐consuming consequence if they made an error. Relative to the control condition that only received feedback, consequences were effective in reducing mistaken accusations of nonmatching passports. Consequences also increased the miss rate for nonmatching passports, but the increase in misses over the control condition was not significant. We conclude that consequences can make participants behave more like real border control officers.

Shielding Public Health: Indonesian National Police (INP)’s Measure Against COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate Forgery

The purpose of this study is to discuss the benefits of implementing several strategies carried out during the COVID-19 period. COVID-19 vaccine certificate forgery has posed a threat to public health. The Indonesian National Police (INP) has implemented various strategies to overcome this crime. The intervention strategies involve early detection and prevention, such as cyber patrol, border control, public involvement, and strict law enforcement. Other countries have also carried out similar measures; however, there are several additional strategies, such as the formation of a special force as well as utilizing blockchain technology for a more secure digital vaccine certificate system. These strategies could be a benchmark for the INP in handling cases of letter forgery.

Compact and transportable system for detecting lead-shielded highly enriched uranium using 252Cf rotation method with a water Cherenkov neutron detector

The global challenge of on-site detection of highly enriched uranium (HEU), a substance with considerable potential for unauthorized use in nuclear security, is a critical concern. Traditional passive nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques, such as gamma-ray spectroscopy with high-purity germanium detectors, face significant challenges in detecting HEU when it is shielded by heavy metals. Addressing this critical security need, we introduce an on-site detection method for lead-shielded HEU employing a transportable NDA system that utilizes the 252Cf rotation method with a water Cherenkov neutron detector. This cost-effective NDA system is capable of detecting 4.17 g of 235U within a 12 min measurement period using a 252Cf source of 3.7 MBq. Integrating this system into border control measures can enhance the prevention of HEU proliferation significantly and offer robust deterrence against nuclear terrorism.

Migration aspirations in relation to border closures, employment opportunities and risk-taking attitudes: lessons from an online survey experiment

ABSTRACT This article investigates the effect of structural and individual factors on migration aspirations in a secondary migration context. Through an online survey experiment conducted with Syrian migrants (N = 551) living in Turkey, we unpack factors explaining aspirations to stay and move onward from the current country of residence. The findings indicate that open borders alone do not compel migrants to move onward. Instead, employment opportunities in their current residence play a crucial role in shaping aspirations to stay put. Moreover, individuals inclined to take risks are more likely to migrate, even when strict border controls are in place. By highlighting the question of what motivates migrants to stay as well as to move onward, this research emphasizes individual differences in forming migration aspirations and contributes to migration aspirations literature in the secondary migration context.

Prototyping a Secure and Usable User Authentication Mechanism for Mobile Passenger ID Devices for Land/Sea Border Control.

As the number of European Union (EU) visitors grows, implementing novel border control solutions, such as mobile devices for passenger identification for land and sea border control, becomes paramount to ensure the convenience and safety of passengers and officers. However, these devices, handling sensitive personal data, become attractive targets for malicious actors seeking to misuse or steal such data. Therefore, to increase the level of security of such devices without interrupting border control activities, robust user authentication mechanisms are essential. Toward this direction, we propose a risk-based adaptive user authentication mechanism for mobile passenger identification devices for land and sea border control, aiming to enhance device security without hindering usability. In this work, we present a comprehensive assessment of novelty and outlier detection algorithms and discern OneClassSVM, Local Outlier Factor (LOF), and Bayesian_GaussianMixtureModel (B_GMM) novelty detection algorithms as the most effective ones for risk estimation in the proposed mechanism. Furthermore, in this work, we develop the proposed risk-based adaptive user authentication mechanism as an application on a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B device (i.e., playing the role of the mobile device for passenger identification), where we evaluate the detection performance of the three best performing novelty detection algorithms (i.e., OneClassSVM, LOF, and B_GMM), with B_GMM surpassing the others in performance when deployed on the Raspberry Pi 4 device. Finally, we evaluate the risk estimation overhead of the proposed mechanism when the best performing B_GMM novelty detection algorithm is used for risk estimation, indicating efficient operation with minimal additional latency.

Research on Using K-Means Clustering to Explore High-Risk Products with Ethylene Oxide Residues and Their Manufacturers in Taiwan.

Considering the frequency of ethylene oxide (EtO) residues found in food, the health effects of EtO have become a concern. Between 2022 and 2023, 489 products were inspected using the purposive sampling method in Taiwan, and nine unqualified products were found to have been imported; subsequently, border control measures were enhanced. To ensure the safety of all imported foods, the current study used the K-means clustering method for identifying EtO residues in food. Data on finished products and raw materials with EtO residues from international public opinion bulletins were collected for analysis. After matching them with the Taiwan Food Cloud, 90 high-risk food items with EtO residues and 1388 manufacturers were screened. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration set up border controls and grouped the manufacturers using K-means clustering in the unsupervised learning algorithm. For this study, 37 manufacturers with priority inspections and 52 high-risk finished products and raw materials with residual EtO were selected for inspection. While EtO was not detected, the study concluded the following: 1. Using international food safety alerts to strengthen border control can effectively ensure domestic food safety; 2. K-means clustering can validate the risk-based purposive sampling results to ensure food safety and reduce costs.

Legal mobilization dilemmas in the Nordics - an autoethnographic reflection on the role of scholars in the asylum commission.

The present article investigates key dilemmas in collective legal mobilization initiatives in the field of asylum and migrants' rights. Focusing on my own experiences from working in the Asylum Commission - a trans-sectional mobilization initiative that ran in Sweden from 2019 to 2022, involving researchers, civil society representatives, and professionals - I analyze two central dilemmas that characterized our work. First, I consider how we collectively struggled for the legal right to asylum and through this struggle also reproduced injustices and potential border control harms which are embedded in asylum regulations. Second, I analyze how the Commission strived to provide a knowledge-based account of the consequences of legislative changes post the long summer of migration in 2015 that would have an impact on future legislation, while simultaneously taking an open stand in solidarity with people who were excluded from the legislative process; i.e., asylum seekers. The article underlines the need for sociolegal research that highlights ways to address dilemmas in legal mobilization work and offers empirical insights from collective mobilization for migrants' rights in a Northern European country.

Crafting markets of exclusion: Frontex and the border security sector

This article analyzes processes, networks and actors on markets for border control as they relate to the operational work and structures of the European Border and Coast Guard (Frontex). More specifically, based on data collection and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, it contributes new research on migration industries and infrastructures, by examining how Frontex has been reconfigured towards a functionality of generating and developing mar-kets for border security, including surveillance deportations and infrastruc-tures through tenders, contracts and company relations. The article also exam-ines how this development has facilitated the creation of EUROSUR, and EU collaboration with Libyan authorities as well as the implementation of depor-tations from Greece and Turkey. It concludes with more general observations on the political economy of border control resulting from Frontex's crafting of border markets, and the implications it has for human rights and transparency.

Of land and sea. "Interested solidarities" and the migration industry from below

This paper explores economic interactions between displaced people, local societies and spatial dimensions of migration management and border con-trols, most notably camps, focusing on the northeast Aegean islands of Chios and Lesvos. It explores the diverse activities, practices, transactions and rela-tions developing in, around and in relation to migrant camps, the array of eco-nomic actors involved, and the multiple spatialities operating at different scales. These actors intersect in various ways and occasionally interact in overlapping networks, stimulating "developmental" processes in fields of eco-nomic activities within but also beyond the migration industries. Building pri-marily on fieldwork conducted on the two islands in 2020, as well as on sec-ondary data and desk research, the paper argues that reception policies create value and mobilise resources in ways that may deepen existing inequalities or even produce new ones, capitalizing on the presence of the migrants them-selves.

Unpacking policy effects on the smuggling industry: a postfunctionalist examination

Evidence from different countries show that increasingly restrictive policies such as the criminalisation of migrant smuggling and the externalisation of border controls to countries of origin and transit of migratory flows, often re-sult in more sophisticated organisational structures, causing the replacement of small-scale decentralised organisations with larger hierarchical structures. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 professionals involved in undocu-mented migration, this study aims to assess the impacts of bilateral policy changes between 2016 and 2021 on the smuggling industry in the Mediterra-nean through a postfunctionalist theoretical perspective. The Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding and the EU-Turkey agreement prompted changes in migrants' routes arriving in Greece and Italy, leading to a shift in demand for smuggling services from certain countries to others. As the find-ings suggest, the Italy-Libya agreement increased the demand for smugglers operating in Tunisia, while the EU-Turkey agreement reinforced traditional methods of unauthorised movement relying on smuggling networks.