Border flexibilization, the securitization of migration, and unaccompanied minors’ subjectivity: a case study

In the Euro-Mediterranean region, the securitization of migration policies operates through the externalization of border controls and the thickening of legal barriers that permit or deny access to rights. These operations can be observed by analyzing unaccompanied foreign minors, whose dual legal status places them both in the condition of foreign migrants as well as minors, and therefore subjects both to border control and extensive legal protection. My empirical research lies at the intersection of these two opposing and changing spheres and is based in the city of Messina (Sicily), where there is a signifcant presence of UAMs. It analyses the most recent Italian securitization legislation in the feld, investigates the local institutional and policies arena through 20 qualitative interviews with UAMs and institutional and social actors; its aim is to provide a critical account of the securitization of migration policy and how it affects vulnerable subjects such as UAMs.