Borders and Migration

Since 2015, the number of migrants and refugees crossing national frontiers has reached record levels. Wars, persecution, poverty and the spread of arid land forced millions to leave their homes in central Asia, the Levant and North Africa. Wealthy countries of the Global North responded in very different ways: some opened their borders to large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees, while others tightened their border rules.

This surge has sparked heated political and academic debate. Managing cross-border movement has become one of the central policy dilemmas of the twenty-first century, raising hard questions about human rights, the obligations of states and security. Research on borders and migration has expanded quickly to keep pace with the growing number of displaced people. Even so, border scholars have long paid little attention to the movement of people, while migration researchers have tended to overlook how borders are changing.

Borders and Migration: The Canadian Experience in Comparative Perspective examines the two-way relationship between migration and border governance, showing how each shapes the other. Taking Canada as its starting point and focusing on refugees and irregular migrants, this multidisciplinary study looks at how different levels of government have both enabled and restricted the movement of people across international boundaries. It traces how the governance of migration and borders has changed over time, and comparisons with other regions of the world place current trends and challenges in sharper focus.