In many regions around the world, the governance of migration increasingly involves local authorities and actors. This edited volume introduces theoretical contributions that, departing from the 'local turn' in migration studies, highlight the distinct role that legal processes, debates, and instruments play in driving this development. Drawing on historical and contemporary case studies, it demonstrates how paying closer analytical attention to legal questions reveals the inherent tensions and contradictions of migration governance. By investigating socio-legal phenomena such as sanctuary jurisdictions, it further explores how the law structures ongoing processes of (re)scaling in this domain. Beyond offering conceptual and empirical discussions of local migration governance, this volume also directly confronts the pressing normative questions that follow from the growing involvement of local authorities and actors. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘In a time in which the local governance of immigration is hotly debated at an international level, this book provides an excellent analysis of local experiences and intellectual debates, comparing different countries on both sides of the Atlantic and crossing several disciplines, ranging from political science to sociology, from law to critical geography. I highly recommend this book to every scholar willing to understand and deepen the actual governance of immigration in a multilevel political setting.’

Maurizio Ambrosini - University of Milan

‘This collection is a timely and important series of global reflections on the legal negotiations, tensions, and ambivalences that underpin migration governance. Conceptually innovative and empirically rich, it opens new avenues for thinking about the intersections of law, governance, and contestation that are shaping a “local turn” in migration scholarship.’

Jonathan Darling - Durham University

‘This ground-breaking work provides the much-needed theoretical reflection on the role of the law in one of the key contemporary trends in migration governance: the rise of local authorities. Well-researched, well-written and truly thought-provoking, it is a must-read for all who work in this field – scholars and practitioners alike.’

Barbara M. Oomen - Utrecht University