This article by Dr Matilde Rosina examines the consequences of criminalising irregular migration in Italy and France, showing that this led to a two-fold feedback loop.
As the researcher emphasises, that on the one hand, 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.“Overall, this fostered demand for restrictive, yet counterproductive, policies, creating a vicious cycle of insecurity and irregularity,” Dr Rosina summarises.
The key findings are:
- Criminalisation of irregular migration in France and Italy have been ineffective and counterproductive. They often exacerbate the issues they seek to address.
- Strict migration policies and criminalisation foster insecurity among migrants, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation. This also applies to labour markets, as the criminalisation of irregular migration leads to the exploitation of undocumented workers and a growing demand for irregular labour.
- The research also reveals a disconnect between the perceived effectiveness of restrictive migration policies and their actual outcomes.
Read the full article here: Criminalising Migration: The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity and Irregularity (mdpi.com)