2026/06/14 by José A. Brandariz, Romina Ramos Rodríguez · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance #Migration, Refugees, and Integration #Political and Social Dynamics in Chile and Latin America
paper · pdf · doi:10.5204/ijcjsd.4091
openalex publication_date 2026/06/14 · openalex created_date 2026/06/15 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/16
By oversimplifying the complexity of human smuggling and facilitation phenomena, anti-smuggling policies in Global North countries have acted as large fishing dragnets that catch small fish, since they frequently focus on minor cases and punish migrants’ relatives and communities, solidarity networks and activists, as well as migrants and asylum seekers themselves. This concerning scenario shows that the anti-smuggling model that has been widespread since the early 2000s is failing on multiple fronts. This article explores anti-smuggling policies and practices in Chile to investigate whether they reproduce the same shortcomings observed in Global North countries. Relying on a variety of qualitative and quantitative empirical data, this study focuses in particular on the performance of the Chilean criminal justice system in this field and the characteristics of the cases and individuals being criminalised. The article contributes to crimmigration and border criminology debates by examining the criminalisation of migration in an under-explored Global South region.