An Institutional Approach to Bordering in Islands: The Canary Islands on the African-European Migration Routes

Islands play a significant role in international irregular maritime migration. Frequently they are part of maritime interstitial spaces between states, and their location, combined with institutional membership, makes them part of international migration routes and subject to border management strategies. In this paper borders are analysed as social institutions used for regulating relative permeability through rules of entry and exit for persons, goods and capital. Borders institutionalize territoriality and are politically implemented by states. They are selective, also in migration, and irregular border transit is not always indicative of an inability to control. The Canary Islands are used as an illustrative example of how border management at the southern edge of the European Union has evolved towards more coercive deterrence and tighter surveillance. The Canary Islands experienced irregular maritime immigration from the west African coasts during the first decade of the 21st century and most of these migrants intended to use the islands as transit space towards the European continent. Increasing surveillance in countries of origin, enforcement of border controls and stricter return policies were used to stop flows. The so-called “cayuco crisis” in 2006 induced institutional change in border management and forced the active involvement of the EU through FRONTEX

Migraciones y economía

Los motivos económicos están entre los factores explicativos básicos de las migraciones, tanto de las internacionales como de las interiores dentro de los países. A su vez, los movimientos migratorios tienen efectos en la economía; en el crecimiento económico en general y también en los distintos mercados (trabajo, vivienda, bienes de consumo, etc.) y los servicios públicos (educación, sanidad, servicios sociales, etc.) El propósito de este documento reside en ofrecer una visión sinóptica de estas interacciones entre migraciones y economía para el caso de las Islas Canarias. Para ello se plantearán inicialmente algunas aclaraciones conceptuales sobre la determinación mutua de ambos procesos, para luego especificarlas con evidencia sobre el caso canario en los principales temas a tener en cuenta: los motivos económicos de las migraciones, su impacto en el crecimiento económico, el mercado de trabajo y las condiciones de vida de la población inmigrante. El apartado final alude a la importancia del marco institucional que regula estas relaciones entre migraciones y economía, ya que están lejos de poder interpretarse como una relación mecánica y alejada de la esfera política

Canarias: inmigración en una región fronteriza del sur de la Unión Europea

During the last decade immigration in the Canary Islands has become more intense, diversified and generalized. The article sums up recent tendencies in migration flows and refers to the functions the Canary Islands fulfill in the southern European frontier as a final migration destination or mere transit region. Special attention is dedicated to identify segmentation phenomena in migration flows and migrant communities, analyzing modes of entry and patterns of post-migration mobility. Immigration impacts in different aspects of social and economic reality will be highlighted and the institutional response implemented in recent years with respect to migration management will be described.El archipiélago canario ha experimentado la intensificación, diversificación y generalización de sus flujos migratorios en la etapa reciente. El artículo resume las tendencias que han marcado la evolución de las migraciones exteriores, profundizando en las funciones de destino migratorio y lugar de tránsito que desempeña la región en la frontera meridional de la UE. Especial atención merece la segmentación de los flujos y colectivos migratorios, indagando en las formas de acceso y en los patrones de movilidad posterior. Se analizan el impacto de la población inmigrante en las diversas dimensiones de la realidad y la respuesta que desde las instituciones se ha ido implementando en relación con la gestión del fenómeno

Non-State Actors and Migration Control in Spain. A Migration Industry Perspective

Until recently research on controlling irregular migration flows has been heavily biased toward what can be defined as an excessive state determinism that obviates the role of non-state institutions and organizations in this sphere of action. Although this state determinism (state-centric approach) has been academically contested by research that has focused on reactive actions and resistance by immigrants to migration control (migrant-centric approach), the state-centric approach has obviated the role that other non-state actors play in the sphere of migration control. The objective of this paper is to analyze and define the ways that have been adopted to control irregular immigration to Spain over the past decade by employing an approach that transcends and complements the state-centric/migrant-centric approaches by incorporating non-state actors to the analysis (a polycentric approach). The analysis of the role of non-state organizations in controlling irregular immigration in Spain will be carried out with a focus on what has come to be refered to as “Migration Industry”, a concept that has gained a great deal of attention in migration studies as an analytical perspective that incorporates intermediate actors. Focusing on the analysis of the Spanish case, and on the so called "Control Industry and Rescue Industry", the paper will explore the role of private companies, NGO´s and other non-state actors as agents which facilitate and constrain irregular migration flows to Spain and influence the shaping of border and internal control policies and flows.MIND Research Project (grant number CSO2014-53680) funded by the Spanish National Research Program, 2015–2017Peer reviewe

Migrations and the economy

Economic reasons are among the basic explanatory factors of migration, whether international or internally within a country. In turn, migratory movements have effects on the economy in terms of economic growth in general, but also in the different markets (work, housing, consumer goods, etc.) and public services (education, health, social services, etc.). The purpose of this document is to offer an overview of these interactions between migration and the economy in the case of the Canary Islands. To do this, certain conceptual clarifications will be made initially involving the mutual determination of both processes, before later providing specifics with evidence on the Canarian case for the main issues considered: the economic reasons for migration, and its impact on economic growth, the labour market and the living conditions of the immigrant population. The final section alludes to the importance of the institutional framework that regulates these relations between migration and the economy, which are far from being interpretable as a mechanical relationship and isolated from the political sphere

Irregular maritime migrations: islands in the network of routes

The Canary Islands are part of the irregular maritime routes for African emigration to the European mainland. The small size of the islands, in geographic, demographic and economic terms, poses a unique challenge to managing the arrival of migrants, specifically if we consider the relative unpredictability of the phenomenon. This makes it necessary to consider certain key elements in order to understand how irregular maritime migrations toward the Canary Islands have evolved in the past decade

Basic facts about immigration in Tenerife

Migratory movements and the presence of immigrants in our societies are at the centre of political and media attention in Europe. In a context in which xenophobic parties have alarmingly increased their support base and where rumors and false or biased news are skewing the public debate on migration, it is particularly urgent and important that civil society, institutions and the media have substantiated and verifiable information. Promoting and disseminating scientific knowledge on migratory phenomena is one of the main purposes of the Tenerife Immigration Observatory

Las migraciones marítimas irregulares: las islas en la red de rutas

Las Islas Canarias forman parte de una de las rutas marítimas irregulares de la emigración africana hacia el continente europeo. El reducido tamaño de las islas, tanto en términos geográficos como demográficos y económicos, conlleva un reto específico en la gestión de la acogida, en particular si consideramos la relativa imprevisibilidad del fenómeno. Por esta razón es importante abordar algunas claves para comprender la evolución de las migraciones marítimas irregulares hacia las islas Canarias en la última década

How do migrants in Tenerife experience discrimination?

The Tenerife Immigration Observatory has conducted a study that shows that discrimination is a common experience for many migrants living in Tenerife. The discrimination they experience varies based on the continent of origin, with the population of African origin expressing the highest levels of discrimination. Other important variables that correlate with origin are race, religion, and social class. The population that identifies as Arab or black/African, the Muslim population, and lower-class individuals are those who report the highest rates of discrimination

Hechos básicos sobre la inmigración en Tenerife

Los movimientos migratorios y la presencia de personas inmigradas en nuestras sociedades están en el centro de la atención política y mediática en Europa. En un contexto en el cual los partidos xenófobos han aumentado de forma preocupante su base de apoyo y donde los rumores y las noticias falsas o tendenciosas están sesgando el debate público sobre las migraciones, es particularmente urgente e importante que la sociedad civil, las instituciones y los medios de comunicación cuenten con información fundamentada y contrastada. Promover y difundir el conocimiento científico de los fenómenos migratorios es una de las principales vocaciones del Observatorio de la Inmigración de Tenerife