Undocumented Immigrants Research Articles

Criminalising Migration: The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity and Irregularity

Recent years have witnessed growing emphasis on exceptional measures to address unauthorised arrivals. This article unpacks the relationship between migration policies, irregularity, and insecurity, by examining the consequences of a specific, yet often neglected, measure: the criminalisation of irregular migration (namely, the introduction of the “crime of irregular migration”). Investigating the cases of Italy and France, two of the countries with the most severe sanctions in Europe, it argues that criminalisation led to a two-fold feedback loop. On the one hand, by exceptionalising migration and constructing a continuum between migrants and criminals, criminalisation enhanced a sense of insecurity among the domestic public. On the other hand, by giving foreigners in irregular situations a criminal record, it increased their reliance on underground networks to stay and work in destination countries. Overall, this fostered demand for restrictive, yet counterproductive, policies, creating a vicious cycle of insecurity and irregularity.

Access to medicines among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants across the migratory cycle in Europe: a scoping review

IntroductionAccess to essential medicines is a critical element of health systems and an important measure of their performance. Migrants may face barriers in accessing healthcare, including essential medicines, throughout the...

Islamic Medievalism and Mobility in Mathias Énard's Street of Thieves

ABSTRACTSet against the backdrop of the Arab Spring uprisings, Jihadist extremism, and the neoliberal exploitation of the Global South, Mathias Énard's 2012 novel Street of Thieves (Rue des voleurs) follows the fortunes of Lakhdar, a young man from Tangier who finds himself living as an undocumented migrant in Barcelona's notorious Carrer d’En Robador, the Street of Thieves. Lakhdar's misadventures are shaped by regional and global forces which have compelled Moroccan nationals to seek political and economic asylum in Mediterranean Europe. Although Street of Thieves is strikingly contemporary, this essay explores the novel's medievalism: its contrasting of the grim present with the premodern Islamic world as an era of sophistication, mobility and cultural exchange. The essay focuses on Lakhdar's preoccupation with his fellow Tangier native Ibn Battuta, the fourteenth‐century traveler and writer whose life becomes a frame through which Lakhdar views his own. It argues that contrary to the current tendency to view Ibn Battuta's world as a precursor to modern globalised culture, Énard's novel invokes cosmopolitan Islamic premodernity to comment on the turmoil of the modern Islamosphere and the harm done to the Islamicate world by Western neo‐colonialism and neoliberalism.

Long COVID Among Undocumented Latino Immigrant Populations in the Emergency Department

Long COVID Among Undocumented Latino Immigrant Populations in the Emergency Department

How Migrants Experience Information Uncertainty and Vulnerability: Lessons for (Dis)information Studies

This article develops a phenomenological approach to examine the intersection of global migration and rising concerns about disinformation. Drawing on interviews with Venezuelans en route to the United States-Mexico border through Central America, the article analyzes how undocumented migrants live amid information precarity, how they relate to disinformation, and how disinformation affects their decisions. We demonstrate the centrality of information and communication practices in managing (dis)information during the migration experience. This includes distrusting traditional media, using various platforms like social media and messaging apps, and exchanging both information and disinformation with others. By adopting a phenomenological approach, the article demonstrates that migrants’ relationship with (dis)information is shaped by their conviction that each person has unique life experiences and a profoundly religious view of life and destiny. The article thus advocates for a deeper exploration of migrants’ sociocultural beliefs rather than focusing solely on issues such as information accuracy, accessibility, flows, and platforms when accounting for disinformation. In addition to valuable lessons for (dis)information studies, this approach could enrich communication interventions tailored to migrant communities in vulnerable conditions.

The hostile environment in primary care: Qualitative analysis of a cross sectional survey of health care professionals in primary care

BackgroundIn 2014 the UK government rolled out the then called hostile environment as a series of punitive policies designed to disenfranchise undocumented migrants from living in Britain. As part of these measures upfront charging was introduced in 2017 which saw patients being denied treatment without prior full payment based on their immigration status. AimAssess the knowledge of the charging regulations in a sample of primary care practitioners. Assess the impact of the regulations on both patients and practitioners in a primary care setting. MethodsBuilding on a previous survey by the RCPCH, a cross sectional survey was circulated through the RCGP faculties and GP training groups within England. Demographic information and likert responses were collected from over 300 responses. Thematic analysis of over 120 white space questions was undertaken to create themes and sub-themes. ResultsResults showed an overall poor knowledge of the regulations. Thematic analysis was split into two main categories, (i) human impact of the policies and (ii) the economic and political impact of the policies. Key points were (i) lack of knowledge and awareness of the regulations, (ii) evidence of patient harm through patients’ being denied care, avoiding care or having care delayed, (iii) evidence of clinician harm through burnout, stress, a loss of faith in practice and concerns over extra work and (iv) concerns over implicit bias and structural racism within primary care and (v) concerns over lack of economic analysis. ConclusionCharging of overseas visitors is poorly understood within primary care despite having an impact on both patients and practitioners within this setting. Recommendations to help tackle this issue and reduce harm include training of staff, systematic reporting of harm, and a system wide economic analysis.

Trainee Awareness of Transplant Barriers for Undocumented Immigrants

Trainee Awareness of Transplant Barriers for Undocumented Immigrants

Between Rejecting and Adventuring: The Spatial Analysis of the Evolutionary Phases of Egyptians’ Irregular Migration to Europe

Between Rejecting and Adventuring: The Spatial Analysis of the Evolutionary Phases of Egyptians’ Irregular Migration to Europe

Understanding resilience among migrant women in a humanitarian reception center: a qualitative study.

The European Union receives thousands of irregular migrants and refugees annually. Irregular migrant women are admitted to Humanitarian Reception Centers. These migrants face multiple adversities on their migration journey, and resilience is key to coping with process. The aim of this study was to describe and understand irregular migrant women's experience of resilience when living in humanitarian reception centers. Descriptive qualitative study. In-depth interviews and a focus group were carried out with 21 migrant women from different African countries, with an average age of 31.8 years. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data using ATLAS.ti computer software. Three main themes emerged: (1) Irregular migrant women in transit: extreme vulnerability. (2) Migration support networks. (3) Promoting irregular migrant women's resilience. The harshness of the migration process tests the resilience of irregular migrant women, who are a vulnerable group at high risk of social exclusion. Their time in humanitarian reception centers is significant in their process of developing resilient behaviors. The multidisciplinary resources of the humanitarian reception center help the irregular migrant women in their personal development.

Indonesian Migrant Women Workers in Türkiye and Media Representation at Home: Precarity Works and Mediating the State Protection

This qualitative study examines the portrayal of Indonesian migrant women workers in Türkiye by major Indonesian online media outlets from 2019 to 2023. Using content analysis, the research explores dominant media representations surrounding workers in Türkiye's care service and tourism sectors. Findings reveal patterns of precarious work, exploitation, and vulnerability to undocumented employment, particularly involving Syrian employers. The study highlights a significant shift in media coverage from sensationalist reporting to echoing government narratives on combating undocumented migration. This shift aligns with Indonesia's labour-export policy reforms under President Jokowi, which aim to promote labour migration to formal sectors and distance the country's image from domestic worker exports. The research demonstrates how media reflects and reinforces state migrant protection policies through "domesticated protection." However, this approach inadvertently perpetuates victimization and potentially exacerbates vulnerabilities by stigmatizing unofficial migration channels. While intended to safeguard workers, stringent regulations may if not already contribute to increased undocumented migration. By analyzing the nexus between media representation, state policies, and migrant precarities, this study contributes to understanding the complex dynamics of labour migration in an emerging corridor, calling for a more nuanced approach to media coverage, policy-making, and future studies that acknowledges both migrant agency and structural challenges.

The Externalisation Gamble: Italy and Spain at the Forefront of Maritime Irregular Migration Governance

Irregular migration is rapidly becoming a permanent feature of the twenty-first century. Amid the European “refugee crisis”, Italy and Spain represent two major destination countries that are affected by substantial irregular flows. Despite this comparable condition, and notwithstanding the significance of their relevant policies, they have rarely been compared, a gap in the literature that this research addresses through a novel comparative analysis of their irregular migration governance. Following a broad contextualisation of destination countries’ strategies against irregular migration, this article delves into the two case studies’ external dimension of control policies from the 1990s to 2024 inclusive. In doing so, it assesses the nature of their foreign policy on irregular migration, their specific measures, and their geographical scope. It finds that there is a noticeable convergence towards readmission measures and externalisation, along with the growing use of informal deals. In terms of differences, the article highlights Italy’s much higher number of irregular arrivals compared to Spain, and the impact that this has had on domestic debates, priorities, and relevant policy formulation processes. As a novel investigation of two influential case studies, this article therefore contributes to the literature on both externalisation and Italy’s and Spain’s foreign policy.

Invisible Gates Made Visible in Trinidad and Tobago: Projected and Sanctified Violence by the Liberal State upon Illegal immigrants and Refugees

Over the past decade, illegal immigrants from other countries, especially those from Venezuela, to the Anglophone Caribbean territories such as Trinidad and Tobago have increased (Chaves-Gonzalez and Echeverria-Estrada 2020: 1). The extent of this illegal immigration to this country is clearly illuminated in the statistics provided. Trinidad and Tobago as of May 2023 received 35.3 thousand Venezuelan illegal immigrants (IOM Global Crisis Response Platform 2022). With the concern to protect national and economic interests, the debate on securing the rights and privileges of illegal immigrants in this Trinidad and Tobago, has been increasingly pushed to the forefront. So, too, has the discussion on the relationship between those prejudicial migration policies and the form of sanctified violence inflicted on these illegal migrants.

Compliance with COVID-19 government guidance and rules by disabled people and people from minoritised ethnic groups: Qualitative findings from the CICADA study.

Within the 2020/21 CICADA (Coronavirus Intersectionalities: Chronic Conditions or Disabilities and Migrants and other Ethnic minorities) study, we explored full, partial or noncompliance with government COVID-19 infection-containment measures by people from minoritised ethnic groups with a disabling health condition or impairment. We used an assets-based intersectional approach and purposive sampling, included non-disabled and White British comparators, and trained community co-researchers to help us reach undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. We undertook 271 semi-structured qualitative interviews, followed by participatory workshops with interviewees to explore data and changes in experiences five and 10 months after the interviews. Perceiving their vulnerability to COVID-19, most participants quickly and often zealously adopted infection-containment behaviours, and continued this after restrictions were lifted. This could reduce mental wellbeing, especially in community-facing cultures, and could create family conflict. Various structural inequities impeded compliance. Many, especially undocumented migrants, felt imprisoned. The intersection of gender, citizenship, socioeconomic status and culture impacted disclosures of COVID-19 infection, support seeking and use. Many were unclear what was safe as well as unsafe. People complained that disability and cultural considerations were omitted from policymaking. Participants mostly had taken the COVID-19 vaccine by October 2022, but ethnic minority participants needed time to deliberate and trusted, community-embedded information whereas White British participants were mostly influenced by mass media. The intersection of health condition or impairment, poverty, and living alone led to more non-compliance with general rules, and more vaccine hesitancy than did misinformation spread through ethnic community channels. Many participants were reluctant to reintegrate in May 2022 because of continued perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 but by September 2022 = seemed more concerned about the economic crisis. We add two new 'types' to existing compliance typologies: deliberators (who eventually decide to follow the rules), and 'necessity-driven non-compliers' who are totally unable to comply because of their disabilities.

The Paradox of Sanctuary: How Punitive Exceptions Converge to Criminalize and Punish Latinos/as

Abstract Sanctuary cities define themselves as metropoles that refuse to share information, personnel, and facilities with federal immigration authorities to police immigrants. While research suggests that sanctuary cities contest the criminalization of migration, a growing literature depicts how these urban sanctuaries could, in practice, perpetuate hierarchies and exclusionary politics against noncitizens. Yet, most of these studies conceive of urban sanctuary as local policies designed to challenge federal power and, thus, fail to fully capture how sanctuary policies could actually rely on the criminalization of migration to govern cities’ political problems. Drawing upon 1,900 pages of archival materials and 100 newspaper articles, this article takes the case of Chicago to study how and why the urban sanctuary expands immigrants’ rights while reinforcing policing with punitive implications for Latino “undeserving” noncitizens. As a form of racialized governance, I argue that Chicago’s sanctuary policies activate a set of punitive exceptions that—in response to distinct political urgencies—allow law and immigration enforcement to converge and control Latino undocumented workers, “criminals,” and “gangs.” This study not only challenges the premise that sanctuary cities necessarily resist federal power but also illustrates how they could strengthen the legitimacy of the state and racialized police power.

Black Lives in Limbo: Liberian Refugees, Migrant Justice, and the Narration of Antiblack U.S. Border Politics

The Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant communities, especially undocumented people, produced major policy reversals on temporary humanitarian relief programs, such as the termination of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). While these policies have had wide-reaching impacts across communities of color, within the broader immigration debate, the experiences of Black migrants have often been overlooked. This paper asks the following questions: How did extremist policies impact Black migrants under the Trump administration? What vulnerabilities did these policies produce or exacerbate? What do these efforts tell us about the “turn” toward authoritarianism in U.S. politics? Applying antiblackness as a theoretical framework, this paper conducts a content analysis of media outlets to examine the impact of extremist policies on Liberian DED beneficiaries. The ramifications of these policies intensified pre-existing antiblack dynamics of belonging and exclusion within the state by reinforcing racial hierarchies, producing social exclusion and vulnerability to state violence, and maintaining constrained access to citizenship. In assessing the many ways that antiblack racism manifests for citizens and non-citizens alike, we can extend our understanding of migrant justice, racial justice, and anti-imperialism as interdependent struggles in the face of rising authoritarianism.

Protected, Yet Undocumented: The U.S. Case of Growing Liminal Immigration Status and the Theoretical, Advocacy, and Policy Implications for the U.S. and Beyond

Often, undocumented immigrants are considered a population living in the shadows. But living below the radar of U.S. governmental authorities is no longer as accurate. As of the end of 2023, estimates indicate nearly six million, or nearly half, of the undocumented population has some level of liminal or protected status. At the same time, these protections are more temporary than before as most immigration policy now occurs in the executive, and not the legislative, branch, and is subject to dramatic shifts with a change in administration. Also, the diversity of protection types has grown. Using data for the U.S. case, this paper examines the broader implications of this trend on how the term “undocumented” is defined, as well as the advocacy and policy implications such new statuses portend. Having the world's largest undocumented population, the U.S. case can also shed light on our broader understanding of the undocumented label as a globally-referenced category.

The neglect of protection for undocumented Migrant Workers within the framework of Human Rights Law

The safeguarding of fundamental rights for undocumented migrant workers represents a critical challenge that necessitates immediate attention. This article addresses the oversight within the human rights discourse regarding the fundamental rights of undocumented migrant workers. Through empirical normative research, incorporating a comprehensive review of normative literature, this study critically examines the regulations affecting migrant workers through the lens of human rights. It identifies a significant correlation between the lack of protective guarantees for undocumented migrant workers and the various cases and consequences that ensue. From a human rights perspective, regulations prioritize equality before the law, protection, and anti-discrimination. This stance contrasts with existing laws that govern Indonesian migrant workers, wherein protection is exclusively extended to those legally recognized. Such exclusivity denies undocumented migrant workers the assurance of their fundamental rights. Arguably, the provision of basic rights and protections should be indiscriminately extended to all migrant workers, irrespective of their legal status. While the specifics of migrant worker placement can still be regulated concerning requirements, processes, involved parties, and responsibilities, these regulations must not infringe upon the fundamental human rights of individuals. Consequently, this paper advocates for a thorough evaluation of current legislation with respect to its content, the comprehension of involved stakeholders, and the practical implementation of regulations concerning the management of migrant workers.

The Fences of Melilla and Evros: Assessing Logics of Opposition and Support from A Multiscalar Perspective

ABSTRACT A rigorous understanding of the logic that support the transformation of European walls and fences requires a detailed study of the particular and interlinked visions of multiple actors beyond central states. This paper follows a multiscalar perspective to evaluate the logic of opposition to support from different actors regarding the border barriers between Melilla (Morocco-Spain) and Evros (Greece-Türkiye). It examines how neighboring states of Morocco and Türkiye, local governments, the European Union, and Amnesty International converge or not in their position towards each fence, considering their vision on specific dimensions of analysis, such as the purpose, suitability, and features of each fence. This paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on the compilation and analysis of discourses and official communications, local and international news media from 2013 to 2023, civil society reports, and scholarly literature. The article demonstrates more opposition to the Evros fence than the Melilla fence. Moreover, while various actors validate the purpose behind these artificial borders in reducing irregular migration, some actors show concerns about the effectiveness of this tool, and almost all stakeholders question the features of these fences. Notwithstanding this criticism, Spain and Greece have been able to advance in strengthening their fences.

Migration Amnesty as a Tool for Legalization of Unauthorized Immigrants: A Study of Russian Federation Experience

Migration Amnesty as a Tool for Legalization of Unauthorized Immigrants: A Study of Russian Federation Experience

Cheapest Way to Europe: Illegal Migration and Women Objectification in African Film

This paper explores the dynamics of irregular migration and the objectification of women in Boris Lojkine’s film Hope, highlighting the increasing prominence of these themes in African films. Through an analysis grounded in Martha Nussbaum’s feminist perspectives on objectification, the article examines how the film director portrays the female body as a commodity. The paper posits that sexual objectification is a gendered phenomenon and that the objectified body is almost always the female body. The findings reveal a gendered survival strategy employed by migrants facing insurmountable challenges in their attempts to leave Africa. It concludes that the commodification of female migrants becomes an unavoidable consequence for those who successfully navigate the dangerous and unlawful routes to Europe.