Capturing Irregular Migration by a Macro-Sociological Lens: 12 Steps Process from and through North Africa to Europe

Irregular migration is a complex phenomenon on which each country develops its vision and assessment. A change of perspective can displace all narratives and myths to turn irregular migrations into regular and, therefore, provide policies to “leave no one behind”. Mohamed Saib Musette offers an overview of the process of irregular migration in twelve steps, focusing on the route from North Africa to Europe. The steps identified by the speaker go as follows: (1) Desire to migration, even irregularly, (2) Preparation, (3) Decision making, (4) Routes: air, land, and sea. Refuses entrance to EU, (5) Migrants “to be”- apprehends before and on departure from North Africa, (6) World missing migrants, (7) Global arrival in Europe: flows of irregular migration, (8) Irregular migration from Maghreb countries by sea border, (9) Deported to country of origin, (10) Asylum seekers – pending cases and refusals, (11) Regularization and (12) Naturalisation.

Moderator Juan Carlos Triviño, member of the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration (GRITIM-UPF) and postdoctoral researcher (IBEI). Co-organized with the master’s degree in Migration Studies and the research group (GRITIM-UPF).