Immigration Detention: The Migration of a Policy and Its Human Impact

Immigration Detention is a collection of 16 case studies focusing on the diffusion and expansion of immigration detention policies, and the prospects of protection for people seeking asylum. As well as describing various detention policies, it provides an insightful analysis of the widespread practice of deterring illegal/irregular migrants and asylum seekers from crossing State borders to seek international protection. This policy approach is motivated by governments framing the immigration and asylum debate as a security threat. As a result, illegal/irregular immigrants and asylum seekers are predominantly regarded as persons who pose a threat to the security or identity of a particular State. Individual chapters, each assessing a specific country, follow a clear and more or less similar structure, which allows some comparisons. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Malta and Cyprus, Turkey, the United States, Canada, and Australia are covered. In addition, the book includes case studies that are not as commonly considered in academic research, such as Cuba, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, and Israel.