Illegality and Irregularity

Migrants whose residence is not state authorized, or who are breaking their conditions of entry have a wide range of descriptors – illegal, undocumented, irregular, clandestine, non-compliant, unauthorized, trafficked, sans papières etc. Claims to knowledge and analysis tended to be heavily politicised, and the terminology used often indicates a particular position. Yet it is far from clear what exactly is meant by “illegal immigration”? Is it a problem to be solved, or a phenomenon characterising nation states in the global economy? Is it an end state, a category, or a process?

Blog Posts

Dangerous Digital Liaisons: An inquiry into digital policies regarding migrant smuggling on social media

Johanna Bankston

Does Immigration Enforcement Matter (DIEM) project news

COMPAS Communications

Boundary Making and the Broad Ripples of Immigration Enforcement

Melanie Griffiths

The Conservative migration plan: does it work for anyone?

COMPAS Communications

People Move

Ben Doherty

What to do about Calais, in 50 words

COMPAS Communications

Illegality vs Irregularity

COMPAS Communications

Securing a Good (Female) Coyote: Women and the Facilitation of Extralegal Border Crossings

Gabriella Sanchez

Norway’s not so cuddly welfare state

Sarah Spencer

City responses to irregular migrants

Sarah Spencer

Books

Unravelling Europe’s ‘migration crisis’

Heaven Crawley, Franck Düvell, Katharine Jones, Simon McMahon and Nando Sigona

Policy Discourses on Irregular Migration in Germany and the United Kingdom

Bastian Vollmer

Us and Them? The Dangerous Politics of Immigration Controls

Bridget Anderson

Reports

Destination Europe? Understanding the dynamics and drivers of Mediterranean migration in 2015

Heaven Crawley, Franck Düvell, Katharine Jones, Simon McMahon and Nando Sigona

DIEM: Law Enforcement and Immigration Law Enforcement in the UK: Conceptual Framework

Franck Düvell

Outside and In: Legal Entitlements to Health Care and Education for Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe

Sarah Spencer

The COMPAS Approach

Rob McNeil and COMPAS Communications

DIEM: Policing, Law Enforcement and Immigration Law Enforcement in the UK: Introduction and Background

COMPAS Communications

DIEM: The Legal Context for Immigration Enforcement in the UK

COMPAS Communications

DIEM: The Policy Framework for Immigration Enforcement in the UK

COMPAS Communications

No Way Out, No Way In. Irregular Migrant Children and Families in the UK

COMPAS Communications

No Way Out, No Way In. Irregular Migrant Children and Families in the UK. Executive Summary

COMPAS Communications

Clandestino: Ethical Issues in Irregular Migration Research

Franck Düvell, Bastian Vollmer, Anna Triandafyllidou

Clandestino: Undocumented Migration: Counting the Uncountable. Data and Trends across Europe: Country Report – UK

COMPAS Communications

Transit, Migration and Politics: Trends and Constructions on the Fringes of Europe

COMPAS Communications

Forced Labour and Migration to the UK

Bridget Anderson, Ben Rogaly

The Market for Migrant Domestic and Sex Workers

Bridget Anderson, Julia O’Connell Davidson

The Market for Migrant Domestic and Sex Workers. Executive Summary

Bridget Anderson, Julia O’Connell Davidson

Managing Migration in Ireland: A Social and Economic Analysis

Martin Ruhs (author Chapters 3 and 7)

The Regularisation of Unauthorized Migrants: Literature Survey and Country Case Studies

Amanda Levinson

Is Trafficking in Human Beings Demand Driven? A Multi-Country Pilot Study

Bridget Anderson, Julia O’Connell Davidson

Journal Articles

Dead papers: migrant ‘illegality’, city brokers, and the dilemma of exit for unauthorised African migrants in Delhi

Bani Gill

Transitory Legality: The Health Implication of Ending DACA

Marie L. Mallet & Lisa Garcia Bedolla

Constructing Immigrants: Portrayals of Migrant Groups in British National Newspapers, 2010-2012

William Allen

Working Papers

Being Children and Undocumented in the UK: A Background Paper

COMPAS Communications

“Illegal Immigrant”: Victim or Villain?

COMPAS Communications

“London the Leveller”: Ghanaian Work Strategies and Community Solidarity

Ellie Vasta, Leander Kandilige

Differentiating Irregularity and Solidarity: Turkish Immigrants at Work in London

Ellie Vasta, Aykan Erdemir

Legality and Labour: Chinese Migration, Neoliberalism and the State in the UK and China

Biao Xiang & Frank Pieke

The Role of Transnational Networks and Legal Status in Securing a Living: Ghanaian Migrants in The Netherlands

Valentina Mazzucato

Crossing the Fringes of Europe: Transit Migration in the EU’s Neighbourhood

COMPAS Communications

States of Insecurity: Consequences of Saharan Transit Migration

Michael Collyer

The Origins and Functions of Illegality in Migrant Labour Markets: An Analysis of Migrants, Employers and the State in the UK

COMPAS Communications

Deserving of Decent Work: The Complications of Organizing Irregular Workers Without Legal Rights

Nicole Silverman

Other Publications

Online article

How is your city responding to irregular migrants?

Nicola Delvino

Research Brief

Understanding the dynamics of migration to Greece and the EU: Drivers, decisions and destinations

Heaven Crawley, Franck Duvell, Katharine Jones and Dimitris Skleparis

Research Brief

Unpacking a Rapidly Changing Scenario

Heaven Crawley, Franck Duvell, Nando Sigona, Simon McMahon, Katharine Jones

Projects

At the fringes of Europe: Transit migration in Ukraine and Turkey (FringeMig)

COMPAS Communications | 2006

Border Security: Discourses and Practices in the UK

COMPAS Communications | April 2013 – 2016

City Initiative on Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe (C-MISE)

Myriam Cherti, Sarah Spencer, Nicola Delvino, Marie Mallet-Garcia and Nathan Grassi | Phase I: 2017-19 | Phase II: 2020-22

Counting the Uncountable: Data and Trends across Europe – Irregular Migration in the UK (Clandestino)

COMPAS Communications | September 2007 - August 2009

Does Immigration Enforcement Matter (DIEM)?

COMPAS Communications | November 2013 - July 2017

Exploring Migration: Research and Drama in Schools

COMPAS Communications | October 2014 – September 2015

Forced Labour and Immigration in the UK

COMPAS Communications | February 2004 – November 2004

Fundamental rights situation of irregular immigrants in the European Union (FRIM)

COMPAS Communications | December 2009 – March 2011

Immigrant Work Strategies and Networks: London-Turkey-Ghana

admin@compas | 2007 - 2009

Local Responses to Precarious Migrants: Frames, Strategies and Evolving Practices in Europe (LoReMi)

Sarah Spencer and Marie Mallet-Garcia | March 2021 - October 2022

Service Provision to Irregular Migrants in Europe

Sarah Spencer | 2012 – 2015

The Market for Migrant Domestic and Sex Workers

COMPAS Communications | July 2002 – December 2006

Undocumented Migrant Children in the UK

COMPAS Communications | January 2010 – June 2012

Unravelling the Mediterranean Migration Crisis (MEDMIG)

COMPAS Communications | Sep 2015 - Aug 2016

Urbanization from Below

COMPAS Communications | 2013 – 2016