2026

28 January 2026

Invoking the "instrumentalisation" of migration, the UK follows in the EU's footsteps

In 2025 the UK announced a new sanctions regime targeting alleged people smugglers. It makes use of the “instrumentalisation of migrants” narrative that has been increasingly invoked by the EU since the early 2020s. This article explains what this narrative is, the powers it is used to justify and how it contributes to the degradation of migrant and refugee rights.

Immigration Borders Asylum UK EU

- Invoking the "instrumentalisation" of migration, the UK follows in the EU's footsteps
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