The right to immigrate

Every 18 December, the United Nations celebrate International Migrants Day to recognise the efforts, contributions, and rights of migrants worldwide. A perfect moment to speak with Arjen Leerkes, who was appointed Professor of ‘Migration, Securitisation and Social Cohesion' at Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT last month, about the position of immigrants in our societies. Where can asylum seekers go when they are trying to flee their country? Should they stay in the same region, or can they go elsewhere?

“In surveys, people who feel that asylum seekers should stay in their region of origin are likely to have a more nationalist view on migration issues,” says Arjen Leerkes. “However, people who see themselves as members of a world society will tend to approach the idea of country borders from a more global point of view and take more into consideration the perspectives of people in other countries.”

Leerkes’ research work on migration has so far focused on two main areas: on the one hand, he has studied various aspects of migration control, addressing topics such as migration policing, return migration, deportation, and admission policies for family reunification, among others. On the other hand, he has investigated the link between integration policies in host societies and patterns of immigrant crime. “Policy makers often use the argument of security as a justification for more immigration control. Research can help to make clear what is real and what is imagined,” says Leerkes, whose study findings have already influenced Dutch migration policies.

Changing the Dutch immigration detention regime

Portrait of Arjen Leerkes drawn by his 6 year old daughter

 

“My work on the concept of perceived legitimacy was used in the argumentation to bring change in the Dutch immigration detention regime and has contributed to making it less punitive. There was an assumption, not so much in the law itself but rather among policy makers and advisors, that detention would pressure migrants into complying with the rules. My research showed that this effect was limited, and that it was more important for example to help migrants to understand why they did not get a residence permit.  My recommendations also led to more attention being paid to the respectful treatment of migrants during detention. My analysis indicated that very strict policies could lead to health issues among migrants and that return migration policies could be improved by investing more in keeping migrants physically and mentally healthy. Obviously, migrants should receive good treatment for human rights reasons, but politicians and policies can also be influenced by pragmatic considerations,” says Leerkes.

The expertise that Leerkes has gathered in the Netherlands, notably through his research work over the past 10 years at the Ministry of Justice and Security, is quite unique. “Not many people are granted the kind of access that I have,” he explains. He now wants to bring his insights into the international arena. “There is a similar tendency in other countries to use this type of deterrence logic, such as when dominant countries unilaterally decide to use their power to impose their interests on others. I want to show that such policies are unlikely to be effective because they do not take into account the notions of perceived procedural and distributive justice.”

Please continue to the original article that you can find here: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/news/right-immigrate



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