Stranded: the impacts of COVID-19 in irregular migration and migrant smuggling documents how around the world, the COVID-19 response has been intentionally coupled with migration restrictions and controls, compounding the risks migrants in transit face– in particular those traveling irregularly. Responses are not limited to those aimed to stop contagion. Border closures, cancellation of court […]

Across the world, government responses to the COVID-19 crisis are leading to deep changes in our understanding of social reality. A particularly important change is that hundreds of millions of people around the world currently experience severe constraints on their mobility. While perhaps being an understandable response to the fear brought by a global pandemic, […]

Malaysia is heavily dependent on the labour of both documented and undocumented migrant workers, most of whom come from Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh. These workers are disproportionately affected by the challenges presented by COVID-19 due to a range of interconnected factors relating to the specific jobs they engage and their immigration status. In line with […]

The Covid-19 virus is on everyone’s mind. Many European citizens, including Migration Policy Centre (MPC) staff here in Florence are under lockdown, having our mobility rights significantly constrained and required to keep contact with other people at almost zero. From countless apartment balconies hang banners proclaiming andrà tutto bene (everything’s going to be alright). Yet, […]