Research and publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/38507

Scholarship and research submitted to the Forced Migration Research Archive.

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Access status: Open Access ,
Criminalización de menores migrantes no acompañados: una comparativa entre México y España
(Centro Scalabriniano de Estudos Migratórios, 2026-06-15) García García, María Isabel
La literatura académica ha venido advirtiendo sobre la creciente tendencia de diferentes gobiernos a criminalizar la movilidad irregular. Como resultado, las personas migrantes se han convertido en objeto de medidas de control abusivas propias del ámbito penal y de discursos sociales que las presentan como una amenaza para la seguridad. En este contexto, ha cobrado fuerza un debate teórico sobre si estas prácticas también se han extendido al tratamiento que reciben los menores migrantes, pese a gozar de protección jurídica internacional. El objetivo de esta propuesta es analizar si existe un proceso de criminalización de los menores migrantes no acompañados en México y España, especialmente considerando que ambos países han experimentado un aumento de llegadas de este colectivo de forma simultánea. Para ello, se examina, por un lado, la construcción social de esta categoría en los ámbitos normativo, político y mediático de ambos países; y, por otro, el tratamiento institucional que reciben estos menores tras ser interceptados por las autoridades mexicanas y españolas. Los resultados señalan que en ambos países existe un proceso criminalizador del colectivo a través de diferentes dimensiones. Academic literature has increasingly warned about the growing tendency of various governments to criminalize irregular mobility. As a result, migrants have become the target of abusive control measures characteristic of the criminal sphere, as well as of social discourses that portray them as a threat to security. In this context, a theoretical debate has gained prominence regarding whether these practices have also been extended to the treatment of migrant children, despite the international legal protections they are entitled to. The aim of this proposal is to analyze whether a process of criminalization of unaccompanied migrant minors exists in Mexico and Spain, particularly considering that both countries have experienced a simultaneous increase in arrivals of this population. To this end, the analysis examines, on the one hand, the social construction of this category within the normative, political, and media spheres of both countries; and, on the other, the institutional treatment these minors receive after being intercepted by Mexican and Spanish authorities. The results indicate that in both countries there is a process of criminalization of the group across different dimensions.
Access status: Open Access ,
Detained Minor-Days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facilities, 2022–2026: National Surveillance of Child Detention Exposure
(Springer, 2026-09-09) Markowitz, Jeffrey
Detention of immigrant children is a public-health and health-equity concern, yet national surveillance of cumulative child exposure in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody is limited. I quantified facility-day exposure among detainees classified by ICE as under age 18. I conducted a descriptive facility-day surveillance study using ICE detention-facility daily population records from October 1, 2022 through March 10, 2026. The primary outcome was detained minor-days, defined as the daily count of detainees classified by ICE as under age 18, summed across facilities and time. Rates used total detainee-days as the denominator. Analyses examined trends, facility concentration, and the contribution of the South Texas Family Residential Center (STFRC). The dataset included 888,699 facility-day records from 696 facilities. Overall, 115,314 detained minor-days were recorded. Annual detained minor-days increased from 8,669 in 2024 to 70,420 in 2025 and 23,992 during partial 2026. Rates rose from 0.61 per 1,000 detainee-days in 2024 to 3.37 in 2025 and 4.90 in early 2026. STFRC accounted for 83,994 detained minor-days (72.8% of the national total), and seven facilities accounted for 90.8% of all detained minor-days. Detained minor-days increased sharply in ICE records during 2025–2026 and were highly concentrated within a small number of facilities, highlighting the need for surveillance, oversight, and child-health protections across family and non-family detention settings.
Access status: Open Access ,
Conflict, drought, and displacement: determinants of return intentions among South Sudanese refugees
(Springer, 2026-07-13) Tefera, Tadele Muche
Refugees’ return decisions are shaped by past trauma, present conditions, and future aspirations. This study examines how pre-flight reasons and exile circumstances influence return intentions and timing among South Sudanese refugees. Using UNHCR’s 2019 Regional Intention Survey for 6,547 households across six asylum countries, the analysis develops an integrated framework linking pre-displacement experiences, host-country contexts, and individual vulnerabilities. Multinomial and binary logit models reveal that displacement drivers create durable path dependencies: refugees fleeing generalised violence show higher return propensity, while those experiencing targeted persecution face persistent barriers even amid improved security. Drought-displaced refugees remain undecided. Host-country policies significantly shape outcomes: progressive regimes like Uganda reduce the likelihood of return by facilitating local integration, while restrictive environments like Ethiopia act as push factors. Exile duration introduces non-linear dynamics, with return intentions peaking at 4–6 years before declining as exile capital accumulates. Heterogeneity emerges by pre-flight occupation, gender, and legal status. Agricultural workers demonstrate strong short-term return intentions, whereas professionals delay or forgo return. Legal documentation reduces return intentions by enhancing integration prospects.
Access status: Open Access ,
Border Necrotechnics: Automation, Surveillance, and the Racial Politics of Migration Control
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2026-08-13) Molnar, Petra
This open access book examines how emerging border technologies such as AI-driven risk scoring, autonomous surveillance towers, biometric identity systems, predictive analytics, and algorithmic decision tools reshape the criminalization and securitization of migration. Positioned at the intersection of criminology, critical migration studies, and socio-technical analysis, this book argues that AI and other autonomous surveillance technologies do not simply "manage" migration: instead, these tools actively produce racialized suspicion, legitimize expanded policing, and enable new forms of pre-emptive control over people-on-the-move, often leading to adverse outcomes including discrimination, racism, and even death. The term border necrotechnics describes the assemblage of automated systems, infrastructures, and practices through which states and corporations decide which lives are rendered killable, deportable, or indefinitely surveilled at and beyond the border. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, this book situates border AI and surveillance within a broader genealogy of punishment, racialized security practices, and the policing of global mobility. The author argues that AI systems automate historical logics of exclusion, embedding them in digital infrastructures that appear neutral yet replicate deep structural inequalities. Through ethnographic interviews and field observations it offers rare insight into how people experiencing forced displacement encounter emerging surveillance technologies firsthand.
Access status: Open Access ,
Crossing borders without papers: how food insecurity fuels irregular migration in the MENA region
(Springer, 2026-06-22) Marakbi, Réda; Oluwatobiloba Adedayo, Ogunmakin
This paper examines how food insecurity shapes migration aspirations and their orientation toward irregular migration in the Middle East and North Africa. Using micro-data from the seventh wave of the Arab Barometer, we construct an experiential index of food insecurity and distinguish between overall migration aspirations and willingness to consider irregular migration among prospective migrants. Probit and sample-selection probit estimates show that food insecurity is positively associated with the probability of considering emigration and, conditional on having considered emigration, with willingness to migrate without the required papers. These findings suggest that food insecurity is related not only to the formation of migration aspirations, but also to the orientation of these aspirations toward irregular pathways among prospective migrants. The results remain robust across subsamples, alternative measures of food-insecurity intensity, and instrumental-variable probit specifications using Covid-related assistance as instruments for food insecurity. These findings suggest that development and humanitarian aid aimed at reducing food insecurity can play a critical role in mitigating irregular migration pressures and should be integrated into broader migration and development strategies.
Access status: Open Access ,
Which immigrants do citizens prefer? A meta-reanalysis of 100 conjoint experiments
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2026-05-27) Aviña, Marco; Lee, Taeku; Malik, Mashail; Rasband, Reed; Roman, Marcel F.; Sethy, Priyanka
In the past decade, an important literature in the social sciences has examined public attitudes toward immigrants in host societies. In it, a prominent experimental method—the conjoint design, where participants are tasked with rating or choosing between randomized profiles—has been used reliably to understand how immigrant characteristics shape admission preferences. We collate replication datasets from 100 individual studies spanning 1,475,403 immigrant profiles with 26 randomized attributes evaluated by 142,817 survey respondents from 36 countries. Meta-analyses reinforce well-established findings: Economic, cultural, humanitarian, and procedural factors all influence evaluations. Meta-reanalyses show that preferences are broadly similar across countries and demographic groups. However, they also reveal two additional patterns: Economic considerations have become more influential over time, and evaluations of individual immigrants differ sharply depending on where people stand on the broader immigration debate. These findings shed light on ongoing debates and point to fruitful areas for future research.
Access status: Open Access ,
Beyond Cessation: Everyday Borders and Protracted Refugeehood Among Liberian Exemption Holders in Ghana
(MDPI, 2026-09-28) Acquah, Joyce De-Graft; Aniah, Philip; Tuffour, Kwadwo Addo
The paper utilises everyday bordering scholarship to examine why Liberian refugees in Ghana deliberately sought exemption from the cessation of refugee status in 2012 and how they navigate everyday borders in Ghana. The paper is based on primary qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that participants’ decisions to remain as refugees were influenced by multiple and interconnected factors, including unresolved trauma, fear of insecurity in post-conflict Liberia, fear of spiritual harm, loss of social networks and livelihoods, and concern about their children’s education and future. Although Ghana was regarded as more peaceful than Liberia, exemption holders still experienced structural, socio-economic, cultural, and social forms of everyday bordering, alongside psychological bordering associated with memories of violence and perceptions of insecurity in Liberia. Participants also demonstrated agency in navigating these everyday bordering processes through informal livelihoods, social networks, and transnational ties, among other means. The study argues that remaining a refugee was a deliberate, protective response to different forms of insecurity and uncertainty. By highlighting the experiences of exemption holders, the article contributes to scholarship on borders, refugee governance, and protracted refugeehood in the Global South.
Access status: Open Access ,
Mapping Vulnerabilities: The Narratives of Structural Violence
(Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, 2025-12) Samanta, Gopa
This vast range of existing research on dimensions of vulnerability indicates the exclusivity of different ‘situations’ related to and generating vulnerabilities. While perusing the titles under ‘mapping vulnerabilities’ in web based search engines, it is starkly noticeable that most scholars talk about methods and indices on how to capture the nature and intensity of vulnerabilities in many different parts of the world, and a majority of these studies focus on climate-related crises, such as changes in the sea level and other catastrophic threats, exploring the incidence of threats and the impacts of those threats in terms of risk or possibility of loss. Therefore, it is important to understand how these vulnerabilities are created worldwide by corporate capital in a nexus with international power houses and organisations in this globalised world. ...The term vulnerability raises more questions than giving answers while mapping the socio-politico-economic impact of vulnerabilities. There is no dearth of literature on the procedures and strategies of mapping vulnerabilities. The contextuality of vulnerability like heat islands or water scarcity in cities to floods in the river basin areas gives useful insights into how to map the differential impacts of these threats on different community groups across class and gender through the lens of intersectionality. Thus, it is important to question the process of creating vulnerabilities, otherwise, one may get lost in the process of measuring vulnerabilities rather than looking into the structural processes vis-à-vis structural violence, which create these situations.
Access status: Open Access ,
Administrative inclusion without legal incorporation among Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India
(Springer Nature, 2026-06-11) Bhambu, Sachin
This paper examines the conditions of prolonged displacement and legal ambiguity experienced by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing in the Puzhal camp in Chennai, India. Drawing on mixed-method data collected through household surveys (N = 30), semi-structured interviews, and field observations, the study analyses how administrative inclusion without substantive legal incorporation reproduces long-term precarity. Despite decades of residence in India, refugees continue to face significant barriers in accessing welfare schemes, formal employment, higher education, and political rights due to their ambiguous legal status. Quantitative patterns from KoboToolbox data, combined with qualitative narratives, reveal persistent challenges in documentation renewal, livelihood insecurity, and constrained future aspirations. The findings contribute to wider debates on statelessness, postcolonial citizenship and post-war Sri Lankan Tamil displacement by highlighting how administrative exclusion shapes everyday life. The study emphasises the need for rights-based policy reforms that address structural vulnerabilities rather than temporary relief-based mechanisms.
Access status: Open Access ,
From securitisation of migration to aid securitisation? V4 donors and addressing the root causes of migration
(Taylor & Francis, 2026-07-14) Szynol-Orlińska, Monika
The 2014–2016 refugee and migrant crisis led to a hardening of stances and consolidation of resistance to migration in the Visegrad Group (V4) countries. Portraying migration as an existential threat to states’ and societies’ security, they took a relentless stance: no migrants from the Middle East and Africa on their territory. At the same time, the V4 countries did not oppose the need for crisis resolution. They supported tackling the root causes of migration, primarily by providing on-the-spot assistance and increasing Official Development Assistance (ODA) transfers. This paper examines the implementation of the ‘root cause’ strategy by V4 donors in the leading countries of origin of asylum-seekers from 2014 to 2016 and in selected transit countries. The analysis tracks how narratives concerning migration have translated into ODA provision (its volume, structure, and delivery channels) and into the use of aid as an instrument serving donors’ interests. The research shows that the V4 response to the crisis was instrumental, limited and selective; despite numerous declarations, the strategy was only partially implemented. Donors were more devoted to externalising migration control and enhancing cooperation with non-EU states than supporting the socio-economic development of countries generating migration pressure.
Access status: Open Access ,
Migration Governance in Central and Eastern European Cities Post-2015
(Springer, 2026-08-19) Łukasiewicz, Karolina; Pachocka, Marta; Nowosielski, Michał
This open-access book provides a thorough overview of migration trends and governance in Central and Eastern European (CEE) cities since 2015. For decades, CEE cities were primarily shaped by emigration. However, more than a decade of unprecedented change—from the 2015 European refugee reception crisis to the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which triggered the largest forced displacement in Europe since World War II—has transformed the region into one of Europe’s most dynamic new immigrant destinations. This volume offers the first comprehensive account of how nine diverse CEE cities across Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Romania are navigating this new reality. Moving beyond traditional Western-centric models, the book explores the ‘local turn’ in migration studies through the experiences of capital cities such as Warsaw, Prague, and Budapest. It also examines rapidly diversifying second-tier cities like Kraków and Brno, as well as border and shrinking cities including Lublin, Oradea, Płock, and Łomża. Readers are introduced to the innovative CEE Local Migrant Governance Index (CEELMiG), a novel tool designed to measure and compare local policies across CEE cities—capturing integration strategies, coordination mechanisms, migrant participation, research on diversity, and the funding schemes of inclusive measures. From ‘mainstreaming by accident’ to the rise of grassroots solidarity, the book highlights how local administrators, activists, and residents are bridging service gaps and redefining urban citizenship in contexts marked by crisis and illiberal pressures. Migration Governance in CEE Cities Post-2015 is essential reading for scholars and students across disciplines, as well as for policymakers, urban planners, migration practitioners, and anyone interested in how cities respond to—and shape—evolving migration dynamics in Europe.
Access status: Open Access ,
Does unauthorized immigration drive community crime rates? Evidence from 11,500 U.S. neighborhoods
(Taylor & Francis, 2026-08-10) Kubrin, Charis E.; Christopher, Derek; Hodgen, Cheyenne; Luo, Xiaoshuang Iris; Hipp, John R.
Research on the immigration-crime nexus has grown substantially, yet few studies differentiate among immigrants of different legal statuses, including undocumented immigrants. Of those that do, analyses are conducted at state and metropolitan area levels, leaving unanswered the question of how the presence of undocumented immigrants is associated with neighborhood crime rates—our focus. To construct neighborhood-level estimates of the undocumented population, we access restricted-use individual-level Census data, where tract of residence can be identified, and apply an imputation procedure. We combine these estimates with a dataset containing crime information for roughly 11,500 neighborhoods across U.S. cities over a decade. Controlling for change in foreign-born citizens and lawful permanent residents as well as other correlates of community crime rates, we estimate neighborhood-level fixed effects models to determine how change in undocumented residents is associated with change in violent and property crime levels between 2010 and 2018. We find that neighborhoods that experienced greater increases in the share of undocumented residents saw greater reductions in property crime and no detectable change in violent crime. We also document distinct patterns in which increasing undocumented residents is associated with decreasing aggravated assaults but increasing robberies, consistent with a possible victimization explanation.
Access status: Open Access ,
Reconceiving Forced Marriage into Armed Groups as Forced Recruitment in International Refugee Law
(Oxford Academic, 2026-05-24) Querton, Christel
Forced marriage is widespread, occurring in armed conflicts around the world, with armed groups increasingly relying on the practice. Women at risk of, or who have experienced, forced marriage into armed groups may cross international borders and seek asylum in host countries where international refugee law applies. This article provides a unique in-depth analysis of the practice of forced marriage into armed groups under international refugee law. The article demonstrates how inter-disciplinarity enables us to conceive of forced marriage into armed groups as a form of forced recruitment and thereby interpret it as arising for reasons of imputed political opinion in international refugee law. The conceptualization is important, as the main cause of forcible displacement today is violence in armed conflicts. Moreover, it redresses the traditional view of forced marriage as a private and cultural practice imposed by women’s family members and their ethnic or religious communities by revealing its instrumental nature and its strategic and political practice in the context of armed conflicts. The article calls for revised guidance to address the current knowledge and policy gap in international refugee law.
Access status: Open Access ,
Navigating Borders and Drones: A Case of Zimbabwean Migrant Women Entrepreneurs in Botswana
(Sage Journals, 2026-06-29) Sibanda, Kwazinkosi
Border regimes in Southern Africa are increasingly characterised by the deployment of physical and digital surveillance infrastructure. The exclusionary logic echoes colonial-era exclusionary practices where Africans faced strict border controls, while individuals of European and North American descent received preferential visa entry as investors, experts and tourists. The Southern African borders replicate Europe in design and similarly restrict poor African immigrants while facilitating the movement of citizens from the Global North. This article focuses on Zimbabwean migrant women, who are overlooked in migration studies, despite being victims of a long history of mobility restrictions. Using a thematic analysis of social media discussions and in-depth interviews, the study explores how these women navigate bordering in the era of drones and biometric surveillance systems. Drawing on Sharchar’s concept of the shifting border and Martina Tazzioli’s concept of ‘choking without killing’, the analysis examines the explicit and covert strategies of the state that undermine the mobility and entrepreneurial activities of migrant women. Paradoxically, the digital tools in the form of social media communication enable the migrant women entrepreneurs to evade state surveillance. While the digital technology is deployed to exclude, it is simultaneously appropriated by the migrant to evade the surveillance systems.
Access status: Open Access ,
Temporary protection in Turkey and Colombia: state interests, entangled migration realities, policy diffusion and the global erosion of refugee protection standards
(Springer, 2026-05-21) Tolay, Juliette; Gonzalez Siverio, Marcos
Over the last decade, Turkey and Colombia have emerged as major hosts of displaced populations, responding to the Syrian and Venezuelan displacement crises through the adoption of Temporary Protection (TP) regimes. This article offers an exploratory comparative analysis of the political and policy rationales underpinning their adoption. Analysing both cases in parallel reveals three key insights. First, TP serves state interests by supporting internal and external legitimacy, enabling governments to balance border control, public opinion, and policymaking while managing pressures from the Global North and projecting a positive international image. Second, the study highlights the role of policy diffusion: Colombia’s adoption of TP was indirectly shaped by Turkey’s model, reflecting a broader trend in which the circulation of displacement policies has normalized less protective approaches and has eroded refugee protection standards. Third, both states framed their engagement with displaced populations as rooted in “special” relationships, illustrating how borders intersect with social, cultural, and economic ties. Collectively, these findings challenge conventional understandings of migration policy by foregrounding the political centrality of interconnectedness and by showing how TP functions primarily as tool of state interest for entangled migration states, rather than as a mechanism designed around the needs of displaced communities.
Access status: Open Access ,
Social Media as a Tool for Future-Making: The Cases of Two Entrepreneurs in Kakuma Refugee Camp
(Berghahn Journals, 2026-03-01) Böhme, Claudia
In this article I will look at the relationship between offline suffering and online happiness through the example of two young entrepreneurs living in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya who strongly leverage social media for their business. From a basic communication device, the smartphone has become the door to a world of seemingly glamorous self-representation and a tool for future-making. I trace the young professionals’ motivations and inspirations for their work, and how they make a ‘brand’ in efforts to find a way of being self-reliant. In showcasing what they want and aim to be, these entrepreneurs actively engage in creating a self-image that is ‘beyond suffering’, one that can widen the gap and exemplify the ambiguous relationship between their real-world uncertainties and online images of success.
Access status: Open Access ,
Código de ética : Reflexiones críticas sobre la ética en investigación en situaciones de migración forzada
(International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), 2018-11-05) Clark-Kazak, Christina
La Asociación Internacional para el Estudio de la Migración Forzada propone un Código de Ética dedicado a la investigación con personas en situaciones de migración forzada. Al igual que las metodologías de investigación indígena incorporan una noción de ética amplia, comprometida y crítica en la cual se reconoce las diferenciaciones de poder y la voluntad de los participantes dado las historias de explotación en contexto de investigación, este documento establece cinco principios que son puntos de partida para una investigación respetuosa. La intención es reflejar la amplia diversidad de nuestros miembros, a la vez quienes están involucrados en la recopilación de información (ya sea en un entorno académico o comunitario) y aquellos a quienes se les solicita participar en la investigación. Dicho esto, reconocemos que este no es un documento completo ni exhaustivo, sino más bien un punto de partida para involucrarse de forma activa y crítica con cuestiones éticas.
Access status: Open Access ,
Code d’éthique : Réflexions critiques sur l’éthique de la recherche dans les situations de migration forcée
(International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), 2018-11-05) Clark-Kazak, Christina
L'Association internationale pour l’étude des migrations forcées (AIEMF) propose le présent code d’éthique pour la recherche impliquant des personnes en situation de migration forcée. De la même façon que les méthodologies de recherche avec les Autochtones intègrent une notion d’éthique large, engagée et critique qui reconnaît les différences de pouvoir et l’autonomie décisionnelle des participants dans le cadre des recherches sur l’exploitation, ce document énonce des principes pouvant servir de points de départ pour une recherche qui se veut respectueuse. Il vise à refléter la grande diversité de nos membres, y compris ceux qui participent à la collecte d’informations — que ce soit dans un cadre universitaire ou communautaire — ainsi que ceux qui sont invités à prendre part à des recherches. Cela étant dit, nous sommes conscients qu’il ne s’agit pas d’un document complet ni exhaustif, mais plutôt d’un point de départ pour un engagement actif et critique sur les questions éthiques.
Access status: Open Access ,
Code of ethics: Critical reflections on research ethics in situations of forced migration
(International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), 2018-11-05) Clark-Kazak, Christina
The International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) hereby proposes this code of ethics for research with people in situations of forced migration. Similarly to how Indigenous research methodologies incorporate a broad, engaged and critical notion of ethics that recognizes power differentiations and the agency of the participants within exploitive research histories, this document sets forth principles that are starting points for respectful research. It is intended to reflect the broad diversity of our membership, including those involved in gathering information – whether in an academic or community setting – as well as those who are asked to take part in research. That being said, we acknowledge that this is not a comprehensive nor exhaustive document, but rather a starting point for active, critical engagement with ethical issues.
Access status: Open Access ,
Can Immigration Detention Ever Be in the Best Interests of the Child? The Detention of Unaccompanied Minors in Europe Under International and European Law
(Universidad de Jaén, 2026-07-06) Milano, Valentina
This article analyses how law and judicial practice on the detention of unaccompanied migrant children in Europe reflect a fundamental tension between migration policies and children’s rights. At the universal level, interpretation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child has evolved toward a substantive prohibition of migration-related child detention. Yet this development remains only partially internalised in Europe. EU law still permits detention as an exceptional measure, while the EU Pact risks expanding de facto detention. Meanwhile, the Committee on the Rights on the Child addresses this issue inconsistently in its case law and the ECtHR condemns harmful conditions but avoids declaring a general ban. These inconsistencies contribute to the normalisation of a practice increasingly rejected under international human rights law.

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