Becoming a Borderland: The “Refugee Crisis” in Italy and Beyond

Abstract

In recent years, inflows of asylum seekers have become the main issue in the public discourse on immigration and borders have acquired a new relevance in politics. Southern Europe has often been seen as a point of entry into the inner part of the continent, and governments have been pressured to act as border guards of the EU. However, tragedies in the Mediterranean have obliged the Italian government in particular to con-duct search and rescue operations, and the failure of refugees' resettle-ment in Europe has led to increased reception in Italy. The contrast between humanitarian obligations and political resistance against refugees has been manifested in disputes against NGOs that save the lives of refu-gees and in local policies against the reception of asylum seekers. Borders are multiplying within the country. Keywords Asylum • Borders • European Union • Search and rescue • Local policies • NGOs The new salience of borders in international and European politics has repeatedly put Southern Europe in difficult positions. In some ways, their governments have been required to act as border guards of the European Union, but their labour market needs and geographical proximity to regions of humanitarian crisis have jeopardized the political demand for 90 closure. Furthermore, Southern Europe has often been seen as a point of entry to the inner part of the continent or as a bridge connecting Europe to the Middle East and Northern Africa, especially in the case of asylum seekers. In this chapter, I address this issue, referring in particular to the Italian case.