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Securitization of Migration. What is the Securitization of Migration?.
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What is the Securitization of Migration? “Increasing phenomenon of the movement of people provoking worldwide anxiety and causing long-established patterns of cultural identity, belonging and security into a state of uncertainty. This has caused the rhetoric of migration to gain popularity; nation-states around the globe especially Western ones, are cracking down on migration for security reasons.” -Philippe Bourbeau, 2011
Where is this occurring? The current literature focuses on Western liberal democratic states. Numerous works have been published on the securitization of migration occurring in the EU and North America.
Case Study: China “In the past few decades, China has undergone enormous political, economic, and demographic changes that have transformed the realities of migration to and from the country. In addition to large flows of emigrants leaving in search of opportunities elsewhere and the persisting, more traditional streams of internal migrants for which China is known, a new trend of immigration to the fast-developing country is emerging. “ Ronald Skeldon, University of Sussex “China: Emerging Destination for Economic Migration.” (May 2011)
Research Question Given that China is an emerging destination country, is the phenomenon of securitized migration occurring in China as it is in many liberal democratic states? (How is migration being securitized in China?)
Method: Descriptive Inference • Establish definitions of “(illegal) migrant” and “security”. • Identify the different, competing theories in particular, IR traditions, attempting to explain SM (Securitization Theory, Neoliberalism, Realism, Constructivism). • Analyze securitizing agents: media and political (especially the language used) • Official statements that emphasis the threat to social security in particular, statements released from the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China. • Lu Jiehua, a sociology professor at Peking University, reveals that “when the government speaks about the migrant population, it mainly concerns itself with social security and stability” (October 13, 2011). • Government Policies- migrant labourers, Chinese government officials and academics have started planning the country's first draft immigration law to better manage the increasing number of immigrants (Xinhua 2010).
Who is a threat? In China: • biggest migrations are internal, the large numbers of rural migrants to urban areas are creating fears of instability • Concerns about (illegal) migrants/refugees from surrounding countries such as Vietnam Challenges: • States’ authorities define what constitutes an irregular/ illegal migrant (no multilateral coordination between countries on what is an illegal migrant= an illegal migrant in France can be a legal migrant in Canada) • The malleability of the concepts of “migration” and “security” has been “exploited by politicians” (Philippe Bourbeau 2011).
Security? • An essentially contested concept, some scholars argue that security should be traditionally defined in material/military terms. • Other scholars and government officials want to broaden the definition of security • uses the term “Non-Traditional Security” which was emphasized in the 2004 China-ASEAN Forum
Part Two? If the securitization of migration is occurring in China, why? Method: Causal Inference and Process Tracing
What are the implications of the Securitization of Migration? • Most scholars have argued that the SM has created negative effects on migrants. • SM as the latest and most modern form of racism (Maggie Ibrahim 2005) • Evidence of increasing cooperation between states because of SM. China cooperating with countries in Africa, ASEAN, and EU on migration issues.
