The Transnational Immigration State and the Totalitarian Temptation

This chapter seeks to account for the contemporary dynamics of the transnational immigration state (TIS), notably its expansion within and beyond territorial borders. The contemporary TIS is heir to the colonial state. It has inherited the very principles that were used to filter migratory flows: race and capital. Through the triple process of intensification, internalisation and externalisation, one observes an all-encompassing expansion of the migratory border, far beyond the confines of state borders. It extends to all migratory ecotones: cities of arrival, camps, port or airport areas, border checkpoints, the routes taken by migrants, etc. The redefinition of the border brought about by these measures is closely linked to the reaction of migrants to these policies. The ways migrants circumvent these policies have forced public authorities to constantly adapt and revise their position in the light of the migrants’ changing behaviour. This co-evolution of migration policies and the migrants’ agency is part of the isomorphic relationship between the state and transnational society. The contemporary TIS is expanding all over. It has given in to totalitarian temptation. It is driven by a selection process that is contaminating all sectors of public action and beyond that, is permeating the whole of society.