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This study explores the lives of illegal migrants through qualitative interviews, investigating their motivations, experiences, and challenges. The findings reveal the struggles faced by Eastern European and Asian/African migrants, including housing, employment, and remittance issues. The study also highlights the conditions in detention centers and the impact on relationships with their home countries.
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Illegal Migrants and Their Destinies in Life Stories – Results of a Qualitative Survey Dušan Drbohlav, Eva Janská and other members of the team
METHODS • Semi-structured and unstructured interviewing (winter 2005/spring 2006) (rozhovor pomocí návodu, neformální rozhovor, narativní rozhovor…) Problems: reliability of answers … e.g. „a passport issue“ Responses got from caught illegal/irregular migrants as well as from those who have not been detained yet
TWO DIFFERENT IMMIGRANT GROUPS • Eastern Europe (the former USSR – European part) long-term operation, illegal/irregular jobs in the CR • Asia and Africa (India, Pakistan, Srí Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana …) „visible migrants“ – immediately caught when arriving, „it just happened“ (asylum)
Brief quantitative summary II. (N=47) • Period of illegal stay: 2-3 years (from arriving till detention) • Salary: 10-20 000 CZK/month, 40-60 CZK per hour • Accommodation:16 flat, 6 lodging house/dorm • Composition of room/flat: usually 2 people per room • Payment per room and month: 2-3000 CZK • Client system: 16 "yes“ • Asylum application: 27 "yes"
Motivation (push and pull factors) • Economic reasons (no jobs, low paid jobs) • Mafia involved • Family problems • Asylum (really developing countries) • Social networks (family members and friends who have already come) • Czech Republic as a slavic country
ARRIVAL • Via tourist visa (various length) • Clients involved (in both countries of origin and the Czech Republic) • Often a couple together on the move • Assistance of family members • Asylum channel … (after being caught)
HOUSING • Dorms • Apartments (high rents) • Sometimes good and close relations between immigrants and a family (that hires an immigrant) established
WORK • Discrimination • Big and well known companies involved in hiring illegal/irregular migrants • Males – construction • Females – house keeping, cleaning, services (prostitution) • After being caught they apply for asylum • Many asylum seekers (former illegal/irregular migrants) illegally work soon after their application has been submitted (against the Czech law)
REMITTANCES, PAYMENTS, CARRIER • Remittances sent home • There is some increase in immigrants´ payments over time (the longer in the country – the more experience – the more money) • Via friends and banks
RELATIONS • Different modes of relations towards their mother countries … • some has never been back, other immigrants visit their mother countries twice or four times a year
CONDITIONS AT HOME • Children are brought up by grandparents
DETENTION CENTRES • Good social services • Not enough food, bad quality food, not enough rice … • After being caught, no possibility to get one´s staff from a place of their housing …