How should migrant smuggling be confronted?

The document argues that the fight against migrant smuggling is driven by diverse and sometimes obscured motivations, including the desire to minimize obligations under the 1951 refugee convention. It distinguishes between supply-side law enforcement and demand-oriented approaches, noting that while sustainable solutions require reducing demand, doing so involves significant ethical and legal dilemmas. The author warns that counter-smuggling measures can inadvertently increase the vulnerability of smuggled migrants.

• Counter-smuggling efforts are driven by eight different motivations that vary in legitimacy and explicitness, including traditional concerns regarding illegal residence and work, as well as a more recent desire by states to avoid obligations associated with the 1951 refugee convention.
• Strategies to confront smuggling are split between suppressing supply, typically through law enforcement, and suppressing demand. Demand can be reduced either by providing alternative means for migrants to reach their goals or by removing the benefits of being smuggled, though the latter may have negative humanitarian effects.
• Counter-smuggling measures do not automatically eliminate the undesirable consequences of smuggling and may actually increase the vulnerability of the migrants involved.

APA

Carling, J. (2017). How should migrant smuggling be confronted? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://www.prio.org/publications/10776

Chicago

Carling, Jørgen. How should migrant smuggling be confronted? Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2017. https://www.prio.org/publications/10776.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Carling |first1=Jørgen |title=How should migrant smuggling be confronted? |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2017 |url=https://www.prio.org/publications/10776 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carling2017how, author = {Carling, Jørgen}, title = {{How should migrant smuggling be confronted?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.prio.org/publications/10776}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }