In‐Between Places: Trans‐Saharan Transit Migrants in Morocco and the Fragmented Journey to Europe

TLDR

Undocumented migration is increasingly difficult, leading to longer, fragmented journeys shaped by evolving migration controls and transnational social networks that use new technologies to sustain movement even as destinations become elusive. The study examines the tension between Sahara transit migrants’ social organization and the evolving spatial logic of migration control. The analysis draws on recent research with undocumented migrants in Morocco.

Abstract

Abstract: As undocumented migration becomes more difficult, migrants' journeys become longer and more fragmented. This is a response to new spatialities of migration control which are continually reconfigured in an effort to eliminate clandestine movement. In the trans‐Saharan region, this pattern of fragmented journeys also arises from a network of transnational social organisations that depend upon newly available technologies. Migrants' social networks provide both the means and the motivation for continued movement, even as destinations become more elusive. This paper investigates the imbalanced conflict between the social organisation of Sahara transit migrants and the developing spatial logic of control. It is based on recent research with undocumented migrants in Morocco.