Migration And Security In Europe

Since 9/11 we have witnessed a resort to distinctly illiberal security practices by contemporary liberal regimes which have contributed to the erosion of migrant rights alongside having an impact upon levels of xenophobia in west European societies. Counterterrorism strategies are increasingly embedded into the very logic of migration and security, resulting in increased salience of the immigration "problem" amongst "native" west European communities since 9/11. Furthermore, immigration has spilled over into other debates about national identity, multiculturalism, citizenship and state imposed dress codes; stigmatising, marginalising and sometimes even criminalising migrants whilst disregarding their fundamental rights. By taking an inter-disciplinary approach this paper reveals the normalisation of oppression of migrants through a revoking of their rights and the development of exclusionary attitudes and practices demonstrated through specific case studies of the UK, France and Germany. In doing so it highlights the issues arising from the current reframing of migration within a heavily grounded security context. In the light of the increasing permeation of right wing extremism into mainstream European Politics, this paper seeks to underscore the threatening return of the old European racism.

INTRODUCTION

The terrible events of September 11th 2001 (henceforth referred to as 9/11) dramatically reaffirmed the role international migration can play in international relations and in security issues in particular. When it emerged that the perpetrators of 9/11 were all temporary or illegal immigrants, the USA and their European allies began to treat their immigration service as part of their national security apparatus. Subsequent attacks across the globe have affirmed the acceptance in many Western states that the public policy process should explicitly treat immigration and security as intertwined, and bring a security focus to bear on matters of control and management of population movements (Huysmans 2000; Giraudon 2000; Faist 2002; Spencer, Bigo 2008).

Today, European migration policy has become a meta-issue in the political spectacle prevailing within differentiated policy areas; identity control and visa policy, asylum applications, internal security, integration of immigrants, (un)employment, distribution of welfare entitlements and management of cultural diversity. In a climate of anxiety or moral panic, enthused by the threat of terrorism and cross-border crime, the stigmatization, marginalization and even the criminalization of immigrants residing in western European states is becoming a common reality.

This case has been strengthened by various political expressions, not unlike Fukuyama's pronouncement of the End of History (1989), that multiculturalism is dead. The link made between security, migration, and now, multiculturalism, in effect, eliminates the idea that multiple expressions and engagements can take place under the rubric of a single state. This has been a justification for emerging policies that target minority communities subjecting them to abusive practices that violate their fundamental human rights. Moreover, this is not just a sentiment of the right. European governments, of all political backgrounds, are taking up a more radical stance vis-à-vis migration and asylum policy providing fertile conditions for ethnic exclusionism and xenophobic tensions to ferment.

Last year alone, the French Senate passed a bill making it illegal for Muslim women to wear the face-covering veil in public. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, declared the death of "multikulti" and called for a revamp of the integration system. Meanwhile, at a conference addressing security issues in Munich, David Cameron underlined the failings in "state doctrine" multiculturalism as he argued that the UK needed a stronger national identity. The controversial Roma expulsions during the summer of 2010 are the epitome of an obvious legitimate anti-immigrant exclusionary position witnessed across European societies.

Through a triangulation of both synchronic and diachronic sources this paper demonstrates the steady presence of an intensified migration-security relationship. Policy and critical discourse analysis examine how reforms have eroded the rights of immigrants before analysing statistics measuring levels of xenophobia and anti-immigrant attitudes in the post 9/11 era as a consequence of an overall securitization of migration policies. This dissertation seeks to address pertinent questions surrounding this topical debate: Do new global security challenges provide legitimate reasons for illiberal practices regarding immigration by contemporary liberal regimes, within official policy or otherwise? If so, are the measures "successful" at achieving its intended aims, and at what cost? Finally, are multicultural policies of tolerance and inclusion compatible with new security and migration measures adopted in the name of the Global War on Terror?