Rethinking migrant smuggling through data

The war against migrant smuggling and its actors – described as the men behind the facilitation of migrants’ irregular journeys – are key elements of migration and border control policy worldwide. Almost immediately following his inauguration, president Joseph Biden sent a bill to the US Congress seeking to reform immigration law in the country while “enhanc[ing] the ability to prosecute individuals involved in smuggling and trafficking networks” (White House 2021). Under the new pact for migration and asylum, the EU has proposed tailor-made and mutually beneficial partnerships with third countries specifically to address migrant smuggling. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has in fact promised the implementation of a “predictable and reliable migration management system” that includes “stepping up the fight against human traffickers and smugglers” (European Commission 2021a). In countries across the global south, and with significant financial backing from destination countries elsewhere, efforts to introduce counter-smuggling legislation and to improve the detection of smuggling activities are carried out systematically. Vast resources have been destined to train members of the judiciary and law enforcement to detect and penalize what is seen as a threat to the stability and security of nation states worldwide (see UNODC 2016a, 2016b).