Islands have long been strategic sites for mainland territories’ offshore migration governance. However, small, sovereign island states’ implementation of migration policies based on their unique geopolitical position among larger states has revealed that the concept of “islandness” impacts migration management. This has become a salient issue in contemporary migration governance with the movement of socio-economically vulnerable migrants by boat to strategically located island states in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. However, no comparative studies of islands from both regions have been conducted. To analyse the impact of “islandness” on the securitisation and integration of vulnerable migrants in small island states, the policy responses of Malta and Trinidad & Tobago to African and Venezuelan migrant inflows will be studied. Contextual, historical and document analyses were used to comparatively examine how island states' unique geopolitical and economic vulnerabilities impact the migration-security and migration-development nexuses. Small size, dependency, and limited resources were found to affect their perception of migration with the prioritisation of securitisation for self-preservation despite the ability of vulnerable migrants to supply labour in ageing island economies. This research suggests that island states should consider their own “migration states” to more clearly understand the nuanced policy responses to irregular and vulnerable boat migration.
About the author
Dwithi Hariharan: dwithihariharan@gmail.com