Introduction At least 37 migrant men died following a collective effort to “crash” the fence separating Morocco from Melilla, one of the two Spanish enclaves in North Africa, on June 24th. The number of casualties is expected to increase, and hundreds of people were reportedly injured. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez stated that the events […]

Since its launch in 2020, the negotiations concerning the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum have remained largely deadlocked. Member States are struggling to find a common agreement on crucial issues, such as the establishment of fairer procedures for the regulation of migration flows in the EU. Failing to come to terms on a […]

The narratives used by political leaders should bring stability to contested policy spaces. Instead, recent European Union communications risk destabilising counter-smuggling responses by relying on an incomplete set of evidence. As migration rates along the Central and Western Mediterranean routes increase this year relative to 2020, the upcoming release of the EU Action Plan Against […]

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 […]

The ongoing migration and refugee crisis tops the agenda at a meeting of EU political leaders in the Maltese capital, Valletta. Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, captured the urgency of the situation when he told the European Parliament in late January: “The European Union will be seriously tested unless we act now.” The backdrop to […]