Gimme Shelter: Inclusion and Exclusion of Irregular Immigrants in Dutch Civil Society

The present article investigates the role of civil society in internal migration control by looking at the exclusion of irregular immigrants within Dutch society. Based on qualitative fieldwork and an inventory of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and their tasks, we have analyzed the bureaucrati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of immigrant & refugee studies 2015-04, Vol.13 (2), p.135-155
Main Authors: Van der Leun, Joanne, Bouter, Harmen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bureaucracy
Civil society
Devolution
exclusion
Immigrants
Irregular migration
migration control
Netherlands
NGOs
Non-governmental organizations
Social exclusion
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Summary:The present article investigates the role of civil society in internal migration control by looking at the exclusion of irregular immigrants within Dutch society. Based on qualitative fieldwork and an inventory of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and their tasks, we have analyzed the bureaucratic field of service provision to irregular immigrants, which is characterized by constant negotiations at different levels. We can safely conclude that even after years of strong exclusionary rhetoric from the part of the national government, civil society still plays an important supportive role with respect to the shelter of irregular immigrants in need. Yet, this does not imply that every irregular immigrant can easily fall back on organizations within civil society. NGOs have to choose who deserves support and who does not. Their consideration and deliberations to some extent mirror the priorities of the national policy, which stresses the importance of return of irregular immigrants to their country of origin.
ISSN:1556-2948
1556-2956
DOI:10.1080/15562948.2015.1033507