Securitization (Re) turn: Analysis of the new brazilian migration laws (2016-2019)

Abstract

This article explores recent Brazilian legislative developments on migration as a continuous struggle between opposing views: One emphasizing migration as a matter of national security and another considering migration a human right and the laws related to this right as instruments for the integration of migrant populations. Between these two opposing views are many intermediate positions, but it is possible to focus on them as driving forces in the legislative debate. This article demonstrates that the most recent Brazilian migration law, perceived by many as modern and based on the human rights concept, is a mere moment in this struggle. We posit that there has recently been a growing hegemony of securitarian forces in the production of policies regarding migration in Brazil.