MIGRATION &
SECURITY
Human mobility at the crossroads of policy and protection
Migration sits at the intersection of some of the most consequential and contested policy debates in Europe today, border governance, humanitarian obligation, labour markets, and national security. HDRI's Migration & Security team examines this intersection with a commitment to evidence over rhetoric, tracing how policies designed at the EU and national level translate into lived outcomes for migrants, asylum seekers, and the communities that host them.
Our work looks closely at the governance structures behind migration management, from border externalization and detention practices to the legal architecture of asylum systems, and asks whether current frameworks deliver genuine protection or merely the appearance of it. We pair this critical policy analysis with attention to the security dimension of migration debates, examining how narratives of security and threat shape, and often distort, the policymaking process.
Areas of focus
EU and national border governance, including externalization and hotspot policies
The relationship between migration policy and national and regional security frameworks
Asylum systems, detention practices, and the protection of migrant rights
Labour migration, integration policy, and host-community dynamics
