Bram Frouws

Europe turns it back on refugees as resettlement quotas plunge Eighteen EU member states, including Germany, have refused to commit to any resettlement quotas for primarily UN-recognised refugees, as the bloc collectively spurns those with legitimate claims to in...

Some people said EU countries would be more willing to take in resettled refugees once the number of asylum seekers went down.
Surprise! It‘s not happening. euobserver.com/migration/ar...

Venezuela after Maduro: mixed migration implications of a sudden regime rupture | Mixed Migration Centre An analysis of post-Maduro Venezuela examining mixed migration dynamics, return scenarios, displacement risks, and regional spillover effects.

🧵 Venezuela after Maduro: what could change for mixed migration? Venezuela has generated one of the largest displacements globally  ~7.9 million Venezuelans living abroad.
Here are 3 plausible scenarios of what could happen next ⬇️ 1/5
Read full article: 

Venezuela after Maduro: mixed migration implications of a sudden regime rupture | Mixed Migration Centre An analysis of post-Maduro Venezuela examining mixed migration dynamics, return scenarios, displacement risks, and regional spillover effects.

Venezuela after Maduro: what could change for mixed migration?  “Mobility outcomes will depend less on the removal of one individual & more on security, governance, economic signals, & public confidence.”
Latest by  @bramfrouws.bsky.social Roberto Forin & Simon Tomasi

The end of development aid? Mixed Migration Review 2025 · Episode

Our latest podcast episode "The end of development aid?" looks at how major cuts to foreign aid are reshaping  migration governance.
This is the audio of the #MMR2025 essay 
 

Emerging Perspectives | Mixed Migration Centre Discover the emerging perspectives on mixed migration in this 2025 essay collection. Read unique insights from Global South authors on how geopolitical turmoil shapes displacement, policy, and human rights.

Things are a little quieter.. It’s a good moment for some end-of-year reading! 
Dive into 𝘌𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 2025: a collection of essays by young & emerging writers from the Global South.
🔗 Read the full collection:

Per speedboot naar Europa: hoe strengere grensbewaking smokkel in de hand werkt Europa zet in op strengere grensbewaking en dat maakt smokkelaars vindingrijk. Steeds vaker vervoeren ze migranten per speedboot en zijn daarmee de kustwacht te snel af.

Per speedboot naar Europa: hoe strengere grensbewaking smokkel in de hand werkt

@theguardian.com coverage of a new @mixedmigration.org study we are particularly proud of: how migrant smuggling really works (mixedmigration.org/resource/how...) providing evidence to policy makers based on 80,000 surveys with migrants & 500 surveys with smugglers. Hard to ignore you’d expect!

Hardline migration policies are fuelling people smuggling, report finds As leaders try to break smugglers’ business model, research suggests strategy so far has had opposite effect Hardline migration policies adopted by governments across the globe have been a boon for people smugglers, fuelling demand and allowing them to raise their prices, according to a report. The findings, released on Thursday by the Mixed Migration Centre of the Danish Refugee Council, and based on interviews with thousands of migrants and hundreds of smugglers, come as officials prepare to gather next week in Brussels to discuss how best to combat smuggling. Continue reading...

Hardline migration policies are fuelling people smuggling, report finds

When the extreme is normalised: shifting boundaries in 'acceptable' migration policy - Mixed Migration Centre What once seemed unthinkable in migration policy has become increasingly accepted, reflecting a major shift in political and social norms. This “normalisation of the extreme” illustrates how ideas once outside the mainstream can enter the realm of political acceptability. An essay by Chris Horwood and Bram Frouws.

“Practices labelled ‘extreme’ in 2019 are now so entrenched they'd scarcely be remarkable enough to feature in this year’s review.” 
@bramfrouws.bsky.social & Chris Horwood show how 'acceptable' migration policy shifted & what it means for people on the move.
https://f.mtr.cool/lkjogjvnne #MMR2025

How does smuggling really work? 
 Join our webinar as we discuss findings based on surveys with 80,000+  refugees & migrants, & 500 smugglers. We look at: drivers, violence, corruption, & whether migration policies break the smuggling "business model”. 
9 Dec, 2pm CET 
https://f.mtr.cool/rmfgyiapmi

📢 #𝗠𝗠𝗥𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼! Join us for a dynamic discussion about migration in the context of geopolitical turmoil during the launch event:
🗓️ Wednesday, 20 November
🕑 14:00–15:30 CET
💻 Online
Don’t miss this timely conversation. 👉 Join the dialogue: https://f.mtr.cool/ajmunzgqct
@DRC_ngo

Op-ed: Moving beyond tough talk on migration to real solutions Politically driven quick fixes are crowding out policy. Europe must invest in a long-term migration architecture that works.

"Instead of disrupting the business model, the current approach to smuggling is boosting [it] ... Tighter European controls made the demand for their services increase and their work more profitable".

@bramfrouws.bsky.social at @mixedmigration.org

www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...

Op-ed: Moving beyond tough talk on migration to real solutions Politically driven quick fixes are crowding out policy. Europe must invest in a long-term migration architecture that works.

My latest Op-Ed for Parliament Magazine. Moving beyond tough talk on #migration to real solutions. 4 misconceptions explaining why politically driven 'innovative solutions' don't work & 5 things we need to do for a long-term migration approach that works www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...

How will the EU’s new entry-exit border system work? From October 12, the EU will roll out a new entry system for foreigners who need short-stay Schengen visas.

“Will the new EU Entry/Exit System [EES] always be properly handled at external borders?”  @bramfrouws.bsky.social  notes key things to watch as EU rolls out biometric border system - especially for asylum seekers’ rights, intrview @aljazeera.com   @priyankashankar.bsky.social 

This year's Mixed Migration Review #MMR2025 examines how migration dynamics are reshaping in response to a context of intensified geopolitical turmoil. Join us for the online launch on Nov 20, 14:00-15:30 CET.
💻➡️ Register on Zoom: https://f.mtr.cool/qhbvurkhfe

Smugglers as influencers on the decision to migrate | Mixed Migration Centre Evidence from 60,000 migrant surveys shows smugglers rarely influence migration decisions, challenging common media and policy narratives.

A persistent myths in media, policy & political debates: #smugglers are luring migrants into irregular #migration journeys. Is that so? We asked 60,000 migrants. The simple answer is: NO. Coming soon: more evidence on how smuggling really works mixedmigration.org/smugglers-as...

BBC Audio | Focus on Africa | Mauritania accused of widespread abuses against migrants Human Rights Watch allege EU deal fuelling Mauritania's abuse of African migrants

Listen to the full interview on the lack of human rights safeguards in #migration deals between #Mauritania and the EU.
🎧⬇️

“The priority is really stopping people from departing from the Mauritanian coast, and that priority takes precedence over making sure there is a strong monitoring of human rights violations” said @BramFrouws, Director of MMC, to @BBC Focus on Africa.

Don't miss the launch of this year's Mixed Migration Review, Thursday 20th November. This year's theme: Migration in times of geopolitical turmoil. You can register here: mixedmigration.org/events/virtu...

I spoke to the BBC’s Focus on Africa today about the new @hrw.org report on violence against refugees & migrants in #Mauritania, a country the EU closely cooperates with to contain #migration towards Europe. Listen here (from minute 08:40) www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...

Happy to have contributed to this great article by @eloisehardy96 in @Parlimag, on the current state of ‘Schengen’, discussing the risks of not sufficiently valuing #Schengen anymore, #migration diplomacy & more www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...

Protection and assistance for Afghans in mixed migration | Mixed Migration Centre This paper examines the protection and assistance needs of Afghans in mixed migration, highlighting the risks, gender-specific vulnerabilities, and gaps in humanitarian support along routes to Pakistan and Türkiye

What have we learned about the experiences of Afghans taking perilous journeys to Pakistan & Türkiye? 📊 Key insights from 𝟮,𝟴𝟳𝟯 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟳 𝗶𝗻-𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 (Sept 2023 - Sept 2024): ⬇️

“Aid cuts are driving migrants to Europe”, warns UN refugee chief www.ft.com/content/976f... via @financialtimes.com Sad to see this “we need more aid otherwise migrants will come” threat narrative still being used. Here’s what we wrote about this last year www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2024...

MMR2025 | Mixed Migration Centre The Mixed Migration Review 2025 will focus on how the current geopolitical turmoil and shifting world order is shaping migration.

🌍 How is migration being reshaped by intensified geopolitical turmoil?  In October, we’re launching the 2025 Mixed Migration Review — exploring how global upheaval is transforming mobility. 
🔔 Subscribe for launch updates: https://mixedmigration.org/mmr2025/
#MMR2025

Are Crete and the Balearics Revealing Cracks in the EU Migration Deterrence? | Mixed Migration Centre Read about the uptick in arrivals at the Greek island of Crete, predominantly from Libya, and the sudden popularity of the Balearic islands as an entry point to Spain.

Uptick in arrivals in Crete & the Balearics seem to result from EU’s short-term migration strategy: securitising routes & targeting smugglers via deals with third countries—without addressing migration drivers or the links between regular & irregular migration.

"Meanwhile, the externalization of border controls – through deals with a growing number of third countries, often with poor human rights records – become increasingly fragile and unsustainable."

Very useful & timely analysis from @mixedmigration.org.
”…the current EU externalization strategy looks increasingly unsustainable, as the seemingly never-ending number of deals with external partners becomes increasingly financially and politically costly to maintain.” 👇

Moving beyond deterrence: The need for a fresh approach to migration to Europe | Mixed Migration Centre Read about the uptick in arrivals at the Greek island of Crete, predominantly from Libya, and the sudden popularity of the Balearic islands as an entry point to Spain.

What’s behind the increasing arrivals on the Balearic Islands from Algeria and Crete from Libya? What does it tell us abt EU #migration policies? Our latest article: mixedmigration.org/moving-beyon...

In Belgium, a mother fears for her children under Israel’s bombs in Gaza Belgium has approved visas for Rawan Alkatari’s husband and three children, but they remain stuck in the Strip.

Why are people with approved visas still stuck in Gaza? And why aren’t more people receiving documents to leave? 
@bramfrouws.bsky.social  tells @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social : Countries could loosen documentation rules — it’s not impossible. What’s missing is political will.

The criminalisation of solidarity is an incredible worrying element of the EU's response to migrant smuggling.

We went deep on this issues with @gesanchez.bsky.social , @bramfrouws.bsky.social and @bernd-parusel.bsky.social in this seminar hosted by @sieps.bsky.social

sieps.se/en/seminars/...