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Border policies and migrant deaths at the Turkish-Greek border

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 June 2019

Orçun Ulusoy ,
Martin Baldwin-Edwards  and
Tamara Last
Orçun Ulusoy
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; o.ulusoy@madde14.org.
Martin Baldwin-Edwards
Affiliation:
Middlesex University, London, UK International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Vienna, Austria; martin@mmo.gr.
Tamara Last
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; tam.k.last@gmail.com.
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Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of developments in Turkish migration management policy and changes in management of the Greek-Turkish border on border deaths prior to the 2015 mass inflow of refugees. As the locus of multiple and sustained Frontex operations, as well as several autonomous major changes in relevant policies and practices over the 2000–2014 period, the Greek-Turkish border can serve as a post hoc laboratory for analyzing the implications of EU-influenced migration and border management for deaths on the border. We conclude that a chaotic mix of national politics, policy development and law enforcement practices, flexible smuggling networks, and Frontex operations contributed to the mass inflows of 2015–2016 and ensured mass casualties.

Keywords

Irregular migrationbordersdeathsmigration policyTurkeyGreece
Type
Articles
Information
New Perspectives on Turkey , Volume 60 , May 2019 , pp. 3 - 32
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© New Perspectives on Turkey and Cambridge University Press 2019 

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