Immigration Article of the Day: The Removal of Irregular Migrants in Europe and America by Stephen H. Legomsky

“The Removal of Irregular Migrants in Europe and America” REASEARCH HANDBOOK ON MIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL LAW, Vincent Chetail, ed., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012 Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 11-10-03 STEPHEN H. LEGOMSKY, Washington University in Saint Louis – School of Law (Chief Counsel, Citizenship and Immigration Services).

ABSTRACT: If there is a clear trend in the world’s contemporary immigration debates, it is the ascendancy of irregular migration to center stage. The preoccupation with irregular migration in turn has spawned increased attention to, and policy prioritization of, the removal of irregular migrants. This chapter describes the removal processes that are in place in the United States and the European Union, including the use of readmission agreements in the latter. The chapter then seeks to place removal in context by exploring the broader range of policy responses adopted or proposed in the United States and, in some instances, in the European Union.

KJ