From redress to prevention: How the international politics of “no safe haven” became the politics of “not in my backyard”

Abstract

The norm of “No Safe Haven” has developed into a global policy regime aimed at preventing suspected human rights violators and war criminals from receiving immigration benefits in host states. This article uses a compara-tive institutional approach drawing on data collected in the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States to analyze the policy’s origins and evolution. Despite a Global North consensus around the norm of No Safe Haven and international cooperation around enforcement, the focus has shifted from redress to violence prevention, and the policy has become closely aligned with the politics of border control and security, compromising other human rights goals.