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El presente informe documenta dinámicas de migración irregular presentes en cuatro cruces fronter... more El presente informe documenta dinámicas de migración irregular presentes en cuatro cruces fronterizos en América del Sur, y las condiciones que vulneran la seguridad de quienes, apoyados por los servicios de facilitación de tráfico ilícito de migrantes, transitan por ellos para alcanzar destinos en otras partes del continente.

The Workstream on Migrant Smuggling --a working group organized by the United Nations Office on D... more The Workstream on Migrant Smuggling --a working group organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and that includes members of academia and civil society-- has launched a call for abstracts for a workshop on migrant smuggling that will take place online this summer (Date TBD).

The call has two tracks: 1. the decision-making process leading to the decision to opt for smuggling services, and 2. the impact of counter-smuggling measures.

This is an outstanding opportunity for junior scholars conducting empirical, critical work on migration, migration enforcement, and counter-smuggling. We hope you encourage those in your networks to apply. The workstream will accept submissions in English, Spanish and French, what hopefully will encourage the participation of researchers who do not traditionally write and/or present their work in English. Selected authors will be invited to contribute to a special publication by the UN Network of Migration.

300 word abstracts are due June 30 and should be submitted to both the organizers and unmignet@iom.int. Selected authors will be announced by July 31.

Interested scholars can reach out to the organizers:

Rita de la Peri, International Organization for Migration rdeliperi@iom.int

Samantha Monodawafa, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, samantha.monodawafa@un.org

https://migrationnetwork.un.org/call-abstracts-workstream-migrant-smuggling

Mediterranean Politics, 2024

In the context of the global push to counter migrant smuggling, in November 2023 the European Com... more In the context of the global push to counter migrant smuggling, in November 2023 the European Commission presented a new anti-smuggling directive proposal, replacing the 2002 Facilitators’ Package. In this article, we critically analyse two key elements of the new directive proposal and reflect on their implications on human mobility in the Central Mediterranean. First, we explore the proposal’s limited scope, which frames the facilitation of movement primarily as a criminal offence performed by migrant smuggling networks alone. Second, we assess the introduction of the financial or material benefit as a constitutive element of the crime of smuggling. We then evaluate these components in light of the recent developments in the criminalization of sea rescue operations and people on the move along the Central Mediterranean route. Finally, we raise concerns over the directive’s potential impact on human mobility within the Euro-Mediterranean region. While it may reduce the likelihood of sea rescue efforts from being labelled as smuggling, the directive will allow for the continued prosecution of people on the move who pilot boats for no financial benefit, in an effort to save their lives and those of others.

Reimagining the Migration Protection System: Critical Reflections from the Border, 2024

(SPANISH) Relying on a borderlands' perspective, this essay explains the local practices connecte... more (SPANISH) Relying on a borderlands' perspective, this essay explains the local practices connected to the crime of migrant smuggling--the facilitation of a person's irregular entry into another country in exchange for economic benefit. We focus on the Sonoran border, specifically in the region comprising the municipalities of Altar, Oquitoa, Atil, Tubutama and Sáric, where migrant massacres and disappearances have taken place.

We describe how the conflict between smuggling factions and the declining power of drug trafficking groups, have impacted the local facilitation of migrant smuggling, the people who depend on it for their mobility, and the communities through which they transit.

How do we move beyond the critique of borders to articulate, re/imagine and effectively propose n... more How do we move beyond the critique of borders to articulate, re/imagine and effectively propose new futures and scenarios for this and other borderland communities? What would this involve? Together, we set as our goal creating a space “to think expansively and contemplate how transformed empirical conditions may alter the moral calculus of border control in as yet unrecognized ways.” The pages that follow are an invitation to find new ways of thinking, and feeling, about ‘the border’, the place many of us are proud to call home.

The present brief examines the Proposal for a directive to prevent and counter the facilitation o... more The present brief examines the Proposal for a directive to prevent and counter the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay (hereafter the Facilitation Proposal), presented by the European Commission on 28 November 2023, in the context of an international conference to announce the launch of a Global Alliance to counter Migrant Smuggling. This Policy Brief examines the Facilitation Proposal. Motivated by the
Commission's specific perspective, which views smuggling as inherently
exploitative and abusive, our brief emerges from a critical examination of
this stance. We analyse the proposed directive and provide recommendations that contribute to the debate surrounding its implementation.

In this podcast from Heidelberg University's Center for Ibero-American Studies, we tackle the iss... more In this podcast from Heidelberg University's Center for Ibero-American Studies, we tackle the issue of trust in migrantsmuggling interactions, the implications of counter-smuggling narratives, and engage in a much needed critique of current border crossings and smuggling research.

Bolletin 18 (Trans)Fronteriza, 2023

In 2022 Derechos Humanos Integrales en Acción, A.C. (DHIA) documented instances of gender-based... more In 2022 Derechos Humanos Integrales en Acción, A.C. (DHIA) documented instances of gender-based violence at 9 private and public shelters for people in mobility contexts in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua - one of the border cities with the highest rates of human mobility in Mexico. Nine women, six girls and six boys reported acts of sexual violence, labor exploitation, intimidation and retaliation by shelter managers directly or through their inaction. The findings echo recent academic research that questions the narrative of humanitarian spaces as places of protection or free of violence.

En 2022 Derechos Humanos Integrales en Acción, A.C.(DHIA) documentó incidentes de violencia de género reportados en ocho albergues para personas en movilidad en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua--una de las ciudades fronterizas con mayores índices de movilidad humana en México. Nueve mujeres, seis niñas y niños reportaron actos de violencia sexual, explotación laboral, intimidación y represalias por parte de encargados de albergues directamente, o bajo la inacción de éstos. Los hallazgos hacen eco a investigaciones académicas recientes que cuestionan la narrativa de alberges de migrantes como lugares de protección o libres de violencia.

Border Criminologies, 2023

https://globalchildren.georgetown.edu/events/alone-and-exploited In February 2023, the New Yor... more https://globalchildren.georgetown.edu/events/alone-and-exploited

In February 2023, the New York Times published “Alone and Exploited,” a harrowing article on the experiences of newly-arrived migrant children in the United States who are often exploited for their work in dangerous jobs that violate child labor laws. Having crossed the U.S. southern border unaccompanied, many of these young people are under pressure to earn money to support their families back home, pay rent and living expenses, as well as debts to smugglers, while also attending school and navigating immigration and asylum systems with little support. Following an onslaught of criticism, the White House promised an investigation to “crack down” on migrant child labor and new mechanisms to report abuse.

During this webinar, participants challenge the discourse concerning the dynamics of migrant child labor in the United States, the criminalization of indigenous and working-class parents, and the infantilization of migrant youths aspirations and desires. Will efforts to “crack down” on child labor stop exploitation? How will forthcoming changes to U.S. asylum processes impact migrant children and their livelihoods? Most importantly, what do migrant youth have to say about their experiences?

Research Handbook on Intersectionality -- edited by Mary Romero, 2023

Trends in Organized Crime, 2023

This special issue of Trends in Organized Crime brings together recent empirical research on migr... more This special issue of Trends in Organized Crime brings together recent empirical research on migrant smuggling. Challenging the overemphasis on criminal networks that has long characterized mainstream discussions on smuggling, and which gained renewed traction during the pandemic, the contributions refocus our attention towards critical but underexamined dynamics present in the facilitation of irregular migration in corridors around the world. The contributors demonstrate how the excessive attention to the persona of the smuggler present in smuggling research and migration policy has led to the invisibility of the mobility efforts facilitated by other critical actors –most notably, migrants themselves. Furthermore, using intersectionality-informed approaches, the authors shed light on the roles lesser examined elements in smuggling like race, ethnicity, class, gender, sex and intimacy play in irregular migration, often becoming key determinants in the ability of a person to migrate.

Trends in Organized Crime, 2023

Border Criminologies, 2023

Politicians sometimes talk about human smuggling and trafficking as if they were the same thing. ... more Politicians sometimes talk about human smuggling and trafficking as if they were the same thing. It’s not always because of ignorance: they want to gain support for blocking the flows of all migrants and refugees.

In this episode we hear from Luca Stevenson of European Sex Workers Rights Alliance, who explains that, even with sex workers, we have to look at what drives them to the trade in the first place and recognise that laws to prevent trafficking can cause vulnerable women even more harm. Host Maggie Prezyna speaks with Kamala Kempadoo (York University) and Gabriella Sanchez (University of Massachusetts), who argue that we need to look deeper at the systemic injustices behind smuggling, at what drives people to risk everything for a chance of a better life.

The Border Chronicle, 2022

The Border Chronicle podcast is hosted by Melissa del Bosque and Todd Miller. Based in Tucson, Ar... more The Border Chronicle podcast is hosted by Melissa del Bosque and Todd Miller. Based in Tucson, Arizona, longtime journalists Melissa and Todd speak with fascinating fronterizo… show more Upgrade to paid Episode details 6 comments Open in player 9/9/22, 7:50 AM Challenging Smuggling Myths on the U.S. Mexico Border: A Podcast with Anthropologist Gabriella Sanchez https://www.theborderchronicle.com/p/challenging-smuggling-myths-on-the#details 2/4 The Border Chronicle would like to give a big thanks to audio editor Brenda Maytorena Lara for her excellent work over the summer on our podcast. It's been a huge pleasure working with you Brenda! Brenda was filling in for our audio editor, Lillian Clark, who returns this month and edited this podcast. Welcome back, Lilly! "The focus on organized crime prevents us from seeing how enforcement and inequality disproportionately targets the poor."

Journal of International Migration, 2022

Events like migrant-caravans, the incident in Melilla and the tragedy in San Antonio are the resu... more Events like migrant-caravans, the incident in Melilla and the tragedy in San Antonio are the result of the lack of equal access to legal, safe, and orderly paths to migration. But most troublingly, to the growing unaffordability of smuggling services, which prices have increased as a direct consequence of counter-smuggling efforts worldwide. Here I direct the conversation onto the impacts of counter-smuggling practices on migrants, who priced out of the smuggling market and systemically excluded from legal paths to migration most often by virtue of race and class, turn to riskier, more lethal strategies as part of their mobility plans.

Border Criminologies, 2022

The call has two tracks: 1. the decision-making process leading to the decision to opt for smuggling services, and 2. the impact of counter-smuggling measures.

300 word abstracts are due June 30 and should be submitted to both the organizers and unmignet@iom.int. Selected authors will be announced by July 31.

Interested scholars can reach out to the organizers:

Rita de la Peri, International Organization for Migration rdeliperi@iom.int

Samantha Monodawafa, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, samantha.monodawafa@un.org

https://migrationnetwork.un.org/call-abstracts-workstream-migrant-smuggling

Mediterranean Politics, 2024

Reimagining the Migration Protection System: Critical Reflections from the Border, 2024

Bolletin 18 (Trans)Fronteriza, 2023

Border Criminologies, 2023

https://globalchildren.georgetown.edu/events/alone-and-exploited In February 2023, the New Yor... more https://globalchildren.georgetown.edu/events/alone-and-exploited

Research Handbook on Intersectionality -- edited by Mary Romero, 2023

Trends in Organized Crime, 2023

Border Criminologies, 2023

The Border Chronicle, 2022

Journal of International Migration, 2022

Border Criminologies, 2022

This paper explores how the idea of resilience has made its way into the external action of the E... more This paper explores how the idea of resilience has made its way into the external action of the European Union (EU) and selected member states (Germany, France and Italy) as a means to address areas of limited statehood and contested orders. It examines the debates informing the development of the EU's external action and current concerns in economic, political, and migration instruments. The main findings are that the EU's economic and political instruments have become gradually dominated by resilience framings, with an emphasis on multilateralism, adaptation, and long-term and bottom-up responses. Resilience also increasingly drives the humanitarian assistance and development cooperation policies in Germany and to a lesser extent France, which have gradually moved away from top-down administrative and centralized models of governance. The EU and member states like Italy, however, have been more reluctant to foster resilience to address migration issues. Instead, they have prevented flows of irregular migrants into Europe by means of containment strategies such as improving border management, policing, and surveillance and combating smuggling networks.

In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on m... more In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on migrant smuggling, seeking to create a more nuanced understanding of the topic that supersedes perspectives that are often found in mainstream narratives of unscrupulous and ruthless criminal gangs preying on vulnerable and desperate migrants. The contributing authors rely on field data to reveal the complex and often symbiotic relationships between migrants and the people behind their journeys. Often misunderstood in juxtaposition to narratives of security and control, the lived experiences of migrants describe smuggling facilitators as relatives or close friends, acquaintances or distant operators—all members of a social net- work of varying relational proximity. Vulnerability in migration grows as the travel distance and transit points increase and the density of one’s own community ties decreases. The procurement of smuggling services is always situated within the collective wisdom and lived experiences of the migrants and their communities, and the strategies to increase the odds of success and to reduce the hazards and uncertainty of traversing foreign terrains.

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on m... more In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on migrant smuggling, seeking to create a more nuanced understanding of the topic that supersedes perspectives that are often found in mainstream narratives of unscrupulous and ruthless criminal gangs preying on vulnerable and desperate migrants. The contributing authors rely on field data to reveal the complex and often symbiotic relationships between migrants and the people behind their journeys. Often misunderstood in juxtaposition to narratives of security and control, the lived experiences of migrants describe smuggling facilitators as relatives or close friends, acquaintances or distant operators—all members of a social network of varying relational proximity. Vulnerability in migration grows as the travel distance and transit points increase and the density of one’s own community ties decreases. The procurement of smuggling services is always situated within the collective wisdom and ...

Anti-Trafficking Review

This article is a qualitative reflection on a series of human trafficking awareness meetings held... more This article is a qualitative reflection on a series of human trafficking awareness meetings held in a city on the US-Mexico border. It argues that along this border, representations of the human trafficking victim go beyond the stereotypical notions of the virginal female youth, target of sexual exploitation and violence. Rather, characterisations reflect a specific set of cultural and historical forms which further frame victims as inherently foreign, a proxy for Mexican, despite the ethnic similarities connecting communities on both sides of the US-Mexico divide. References to Mexican origin in this part of the United States have historically been used as part of an attempt to articulate social and ethnic difference, often despite sharing a common ethnic past. In the context of American anti-immigrant sentiments, Mexicans are described not only as inherently foreign, or as lacking government-sanctioned immigration status, but also as innately uncivilised, uneducated, hypersexual, criminal and pathological. On the US-Mexico border these characterisations become further complicated by the immediacy of Mexican border cities and their ongoing struggles amid the war on drugs. Collectively, the tropes of crime, violence and inherent pathos historically associated with Mexico and its people have seeped into the construction of the human trafficking rhetoric on the border, and have been quickly and effectively disseminated, despite the absence of empirically-informed indicators. Furthermore, while this practice is reflective of the efforts through which historically Mexican nationals have been othered along the US-Mexico border, in the current context of globalised fears over migrants and national security, human trafficking constructions become another tool of US border control and migration governance.

Theoretical Criminology, 2017

Most counter-smuggling efforts have relied on law enforcement, policymakers, and journalistic doc... more Most counter-smuggling efforts have relied on law enforcement, policymakers, and journalistic documentation and analysis of the experiences of migrants who endured negative, tragic experiences along their journeys. While fundamental at understanding smuggling operations, these perspectives only constitute a piece of the puzzle. In this contribution, we argue that in order to identify abusive, unethical and dangerous practices in human smuggling, we need to question the dominant assumptions surrounding the practice through empirical research. Rather than investigating human smuggling from a criminal perspective that defines the practice as an underground, hidden activity, we must also identify its everyday social and public dimensions. Furthermore, we argue that improved understanding of human smuggling must reevaluate the notion that smugglers obey only a business-oriented logic (another dominant angle in smuggling analyses). In what follows, we narrate our experiences conducting ethnographic work in the Mediterranean and the Mexico–United States migration corridors alongside smuggling facilitators and their communities, and share some of our common findings. We argue that improved understanding into the facilitation of irregular migration come from building research relationships to the inside of migrant communities, and can benefit from the inclusion of a largely ostracized interlocutor: the smuggling facilitator.

Bi-national call to constitute an interdisciplinary, binational group on boys, girls and youth in... more Bi-national call to constitute an interdisciplinary, binational group on boys, girls and youth involved in the facilitation of drug and human smuggling along the US Mexico border.

(PREVIEW) "As part of our contribution to this special issue on (re)defining mobility and power r... more (PREVIEW) "As part of our contribution to this special issue on (re)defining mobility and power relations on the border, we propose a critical revision to the mainstream engagements with the practice of migrant smuggling. Relying on ethnographic data on coyote-led journeys taking place on the US Mexico Border, and deploying notions and methods articulated by indigenous and postcolonial thought and methodologies, we frame migrant smuggling, rather than as a criminal practice alone, as a component of the community-originated forms of protection that are crafted in an attempt to reduce the vulnerability inherent to clandestine journeys—a form of human security from below –that carries deep epistemological roots. Rather than reinscribing monolithic notions of smuggling and smugglers as deviant we propose a critical re-definition of the practice that acknowledges not just the migrants’ individual efforts but the collective dimensions of their communities to secure mobility amid the risks created by border controls and the criminalization of migration.

We argue that the series of practices that constitutes the facilitation of irregular migration – of which smuggling is an element –are rooted in historical, generation-long efforts dependent upon notions of community, solidarity, friendship, tradition and affect. Under neoliberalism and in response to states’ concerns over sovereignty and national security, these efforts have increasingly become criminalized, labeled as dangerous, exploitative and criminal, smuggling becoming in turn an increasingly dangerous premise for those who historically have relied on it as a mechanism for mobility. Our contribution is therefore an attempt to critically analyze the frameworks present in the academic engagements with migrant smuggling and potentially articulate solutions to move the field beyond oversimplified accounts of victimized migrants and inhumane smugglers."

Despite the central role of human smuggling in irregular migration, empirical research on the pra... more Despite the central role of human smuggling in irregular migration, empirical research on the practice and its facilitators has been scant. Drawing from ethnographic observations and data present in court cases, this essay explores the roles of women at providing human smuggling services in Phoenix, Arizona, which by the turn of the twenty-first century became one of the US main hubs for irregular migration. While frequently overlooked within the mainstream rhetoric of smuggling dominated by male-centred narratives of exploitation, victimisation and violence, women play fundamental roles in the facilitation of irregular migration. They recruit customers, negotiate fees and payment plans; withdraw smuggling payments from banks and wire transfer stores, care for migrants and drive or guide groups of border crossers through the desert. This essay argues, in line with recent anthropological scholarship on precarious forms of labour present under globalisation, that the facilitation of irregular migration constitutes for its participants a valid, legitimate form of labour. Smuggling actors are neither predators nor victimisers, but rather ordinary people experiencing the tensions abundant in the precarity of contemporary, neoliberal life.

On January 8 I followed – along with perhaps most of the world’s population connected to the net ... more On January 8 I followed – along with perhaps most of the world’s population connected to the net – the coverage of the recapture of the man dubbed the most wanted drug-lord in the world: Joaquín Guzmán-Loera, alias El Chapo. Mr. Guzman-Loera was arrested in the aftermath of an operation conducted by the Mexican military in the proximity of the city of Los Mochis (about 1400 kilometers from Mexico City) and not too far from his hometown of Badiraguato. While official reports continue to contradict each other, Mr. Guzmán-Loera was apparently apprehended after managing to temporarily escape the troops through a sewage line. Once located he was taken to a sordid roadside motel while police back-up arrived to be then transported to Mexico’s capital. A triumphant Enrique Peña-Nieto (Mexico’s president) rushed to Twitter to announce the capture and promptly held a press conference surrounded by his security cabinet – a group that seemed more relieved than happy, and whose members congratulated one another over a job well done.

I will not discuss here the political implications of Mr. Guzmán-Loera’s arrest, the alleged involvement of the U.S. DEA in his search or the extradition requests from the American government that according to some reports are in the process of being granted by the Mexican government. Instead, I look beyond the spectacle and focus on what the aftermath of the arrest teaches social scientists on and off the field.

Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/03vKCm

Despite the central role of human smuggling in irregular migration, empirical research on the pra... more Despite the central role of human smuggling in irregular migration, empirical research on the practice and its facilitators was been scant. Drawing from ethnographic observations and data present in court cases, this essay explores the roles of women at providing human smuggling services in Phoenix, Arizona, which by the turn of the 21st century became one of the U.S. main hubs for irregular migration. While frequently overlooked within the mainstream rhetoric of smuggling dominated by male-centered narratives of exploitation, victimization and violence, women play fundamental roles in the facilitation of irregular migration. They recruit customers, negotiate fees and payment plans; withdraw smuggling payments from banks and wire transfer stores, care for migrants and drive or guide groups of border crossers through the desert. This essay argues, in line with recent anthropological scholarship on precarious forms of labor present under globalization, that the facilitation of irregular migration constitutes for its participants a valid, legitimate form of labor. Smuggling actors are neither predators nor victimizers, but rather ordinary people experiencing the tensions abundant in the precarity of contemporary, neoliberal life.

Keywords: Human smuggling; women; irregular border crossings; U.S. Mexico Border; Arizona

Within the mainstream rhetoric of transnational crime, criminal organizations engage in collabora... more Within the mainstream rhetoric of transnational crime, criminal organizations engage in collaborations with one another in an attempt to expand their power and domain and increase their profits. This market diversification is taken for granted and the interactions between members of dissimilar organizations are assumed to be collaborative in nature, and are subjected to scant analysis if at all. Organized crime along the US Mexico border has not been excluded from these tendencies. Reports of interactions between Mexicn drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and human smuggling groups operating along the US Mexico border have been relied upon by law enforcement to justify operations that often result in the arrest of hundreds of irregular border crossers on both sides of the border yet hardly ever lead to the dismantling of drug trafficking or human smuggling ‘rings.”
Drawing from interviews among undocumented migrants who successfully crossed the border extralegally with the assistance of human smuggling facilitators, this essay seeks to identify the nature and the extent of the interactions between the men and women who participate in human smuggling and those involved in the traffic of drugs along the Arizona/Sonora region. While there are in fact interactions among members of both markets, these vary in their nature and scope, and cannot, and should not be characterized as of criminal nature alone. Rather migrants’ testimonies point to human smuggling and drug trafficking as highly differentiated markets. While reports of border crossers being forced to carry drugs are common in anecdotal accounts, this project encountered a more diverse range of interactions, varying from voluntary participation in drug trafficking to finance smuggling journeys, unexpected encounters with recruiters for DTOs in immigration detention facilities, self-initiated, direct transactions with DTO operators to facilitate irregular crossings, and benevolent exchanges allowing for the survival of both border crossers and drug trafficking participants.

(Working Paper)

A call for papers is currently open that invites scholars and practitioners whose work explores c... more A call for papers is currently open that invites scholars and practitioners whose work explores child protection dynamics to submit abstracts not to exceed 300 words concerning empirically-based research on the theme of in/visibility for possible inclusion in a special issue of a Journal or Edited Volume. The full information and background to the special edition is available below.

This initiative is part of a partnership between the UNSW Institute for Global Development, the ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and the European University Institute.

https://www.igd.unsw.edu.au/call-papers-global-system-protection-young-people

Irregular immigration has produced political heat across the world. Dramatic photos of migrants c... more Irregular immigration has produced political heat across the world. Dramatic photos of migrants crammed into wretched boats circulate in the media, while journalistic accounts tell stories of poor and desperate individuals deceived by organised crime ‘cartels’. When EUROPOL launched the European Migrant Smuggling Centre last February, it cited astonishing statistics on human smuggling operations: networks of unprecedented reach have taken over the market; profits are breaking records; ‘smugglers’ are able to transport anybody from asylum seekers to ‘economic migrants’ to members of terrorist and fundamentalist organisations.

All this has allowed for political leaders and authorities to frame clandestine migration processes as a war, a war where the evil is represented by the smugglers. But who are the smugglers? And to what extent does human smuggling actually jeopardise the security of the receiving state and that of the migrant? For those who have followed migration flows over the years, such doomsday narratives are far from new. The smuggler has long been the quintessential predator of late modernity, with his exploits occupying, and at times even dominating, media headlines via the display of graphic images of victimisation and death.

The emphasis on smuggling networks’ transnational ties, the smuggling/trafficking nexus, and the conceptualisation of human smuggling as fundamentally coercive have been endlessly mobilised to justify immigration enforcement operations. Yet, empirical evidence shows that human smuggling across the world is largely the sum of highly heterogeneous organisations operating on small scales and in short time frames; that these groups are characterised by a lack of solid hierarchies and the existence of interchangeable figures; that they provide a service that is in great demand without necessarily exploiting clients; and that the smuggler and the customer may, at times, be the same person. An effective eradication of these organisations without addressing the causes of clandestine migration may thus prove difficult, for smuggling networks are deeply enmeshed within migratory flows.

Nonetheless, nation states all over the world tend to remain overwhelmingly focused on implementing a security-based policy. The recently signed EU-Turkey agreement is in fact another clear step in this direction. The strategy has proven difficult – if not dubious – for a number of reasons. First, enforcement of irregular migration operations through deterrence has often proven inefficient. The evolution of smuggling across the Asian, American, and Mediterranean corridors demonstrates this with dramatic clarity. Effectively blocking smuggling groups has often resulted in redirected unauthorised migration flows onto different routes.

Second, the implementation of these security-based policies increases the level of risk faced by those on the move, who in an attempt to avoid detection often opt, with the hopes of reaching less precarious locations, for more remote and hence more dangerous travel mechanisms and routes. Finally, the militarisation of border control has accompanied a growing tendency of smuggling groups to specialise and to increase their capacity of delivering specialised services to would-be migrants in a systematic and standardised manner. This has led to the emergence of increasingly precarious conditions characterised by specific forms of smuggling violence afflicting those on the move.
The search for better policy

The urgency of migrant ‘crises’ all over the world calls for alternative policy measures. A better understanding of human smuggling is crucial in light of ensuring the security of the migrants and that of the receiving states.

On 5 and 6 April, an international group of scholars will gather at the European University Institute in Florence to challenge widely-held notions about smuggling and to provide an empirical basis for one of the least researched fields in migration studies: the facilitation of irregular migration. The workshop ‘critical approaches to irregular migration facilitation: dismantling the human smuggler narrative’ constitutes the first collective attempt to provide grounded and much needed critical notions in the area of human smuggling scholarship.

Our goal is to furnish unique insights into the much-debated issue of human smuggling, at a time when Europe is calling for the official return of strict immigration controls and restrictions to asylum conventions; America is witnessing the spectral return of the radical-right and supremacist groups; and calls for the establishment of walls, fences, and detention facilities for migrants and refugees seem to be spreading like wildfire.

Over the next few days, in preparation for the workshop and through a dual collaboration between openDemocracy and Allegra Lab, we will first present a round table that records our participants’ approaches to human smuggling. The following week we will publish a series of articles from the workshop participants on the main lessons found in their work. Drawing on firsthand work in Europe, the Middle East, southeast Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas, this series reveals smuggling as a complex practice that cannot be boiled down to the narrow parameters of transnational crime, violence and greed. In the words and works of our contributors, smuggling emerges instead as a far richer practice embedded in notions of collective solidarity and support. We invite you to join us in this global journey on the facilitation of migration across five continents.

Link to the round table is available here: https://opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/hsr/luigi-achilli-gabriella-sanchez/introducing-human-smugglers-roundtable

Link to the workshop is available here: http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/event/workshop-critical-approaches-irregular-migration-facilitation/

Post by Gabriella Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Security Studies and Associate Director for Res... more Post by Gabriella Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Security Studies and Associate Director for Research at University of Texas at El Paso’s National Security Studies Institute. Gabriella tweets @ smugglingpaths. In this post, which is part of our series on responding to the current political climate, Gabriella shares a series of thoughts about the impact of the new US President, how it affects her research and herself. The individual sections were written over a period of months and reflect a chronological development.

Review of Human Smuggling and Border Crossings by Rachel Weschler.

A book review by Rachel J Wechsle (Oxford).