A recent study indicates that stringent migration policies implemented by governments worldwide have proven to be a boon for people smugglers, increasing demand and enabling them to increase their prices.
Major Insights Drawing from Thousands of Conversations
The findings, informed by surveys of thousands of migrants and numerous smugglers, are being shared as authorities prepare to gather to consider strategies to tackle smuggling networks.
“Governments say they want to ‘destroy the business model’ of smugglers, but our data shows the reverse is taking place,” noted a senior analyst involved in the study.
The research leverages over 80,000 interviews with people on the move around the world. In excess of 50,000 respondents reported using smugglers, with a large portion citing to the absence of available opportunities for legal migration.
Operators State Growing Demand Due to Stricter Enforcement
Analysts also spoke with 458 smugglers in West and North Africa. “Numerous smugglers told us that tighter border measures is truly driving demand,” commented a primary investigator.
One clear example examined smugglers interviewed on the Mediterranean migration path. While irregular arrivals declined in one recent year, a large proportion of the smugglers indicated demand for their services had increased, in part because of stricter enforcement. “Rather than disrupting their business model, it is being boosted.”
- Rising Costs: Among the smugglers questioned, 57% reported they had hiked their fees.
- Primary Cause: The vast majority of them connected the higher prices to the heightened peril they were taking due to hardline migration policies.
- State Involvement: Close to 50% of smugglers revealed being in contact with officials such as detention staff, indicating frequent collusion.
Migrant Motivations versus the Role of Smugglers
Counter to popular narratives that smugglers entice people into unauthorized journeys, a mere 6% of the individuals interviewed said smugglers had influenced their choice.
Rather, the vast majority of them stated the decision had been their own or had been influenced by family or friends who were already abroad.
The study further examined who was prone to use smugglers, finding that those escaping persecution and limitations on their fundamental freedoms commonly did, as did those undertaking more dangerous routes.
“The data clearly shows that smugglers are not the root cause of unauthorized movement,” explained a study author. “Rather, analysis indicates the lack of regular and secure pathways to explain why people turn to irregular routes.”
Consequences for Policymakers
Advocates have consistently argued that through limiting legal migration pathways such as family reunion, policymakers are pushing people towards smugglers.
“When official channels diminish, the influence of smugglers grows,” the report concludes. “Should policymakers ignore why people turn to smugglers, they inadvertently bolster the exact operations they’re trying to stop.”
