Le jeu des frontières dans l’accès au statut de réfugié : une géographie des politiques européennes d’asile et d’immigration

Abstract

The question of refugee status growing in a European country is increasingly related with migratory controls. Asylum and immigration policies of European States - on their territory, at their borders and in third countries - led to a change in protection and guarantees granted to asylum seekers. The location of controls (visas, liaison officers, sanctions to the conveyors, closed and/or opened camps for foreigners… etc) reinforces European migratory borders, and reduces the number of asylum seekers. Theses places occupy a singular position in the geography of policies wich aim a better control of migratory flows; these are among the elements which underline the increasing difficulty that asylum seekers encounter. The study of this migratory ‘geodynamics’ is a way to analyse and understand geopolitical reconfigurations of the EU borders, and the evolution of the European migratory system. Geographically, France display the various types of borders which characterize the organization of the European Union: inland borders with other member States of the Union, a maritime frontier which with those of Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, delimits clearly northern countries of Mediterranean sea from southern countries; a (maritime) edge which separates the Schengen area from the United Kingdom; maritime and terrestrial borders of the overseas departments (DOM) and delimitations of airports (which we will describe as air borders). Since the nineties, France developed a range of devices designes to control migratory flows (coming from third countries); these devices are indentifiable in terrestrial or maritime borders as well as in various places inland (airports, stations, prefectures…etc) where the administrative procedures before the recording of asylum claim are similar to those established at the borders.