Objectivity and accountability in migration control using risk assessment tools

In recent years immigration control has seen an increase in the implementation of risk assessment technology. According to proponents such technologies would lead to more objective decision-making compared to the discretionary decisions made by street-level bureaucrats. However, because empirical research on risk assessment technology is limited, it is not quite clear how risk assessment technology in migration control impacts the decision-making process and to what extent it does make the decision-making process more objective. This article aims to shine a light on this issue by making use of a case study of Amigo-boras, a smart camera system used by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee for migration control purposes. Qualitative data shows that Dutch immigration officers are still able to exercise discretion in the execution of their tasks, placing doubt on claims to objectivity. This finding is confirmed in quantitative data based on a US case study. Although quantitative data on the decision-making process would be able to show if these doubts were justified, the RNM has no such data on the outcomes and selection process using Amigo-boras. This information gap raises new issues regarding the objectivity of the selection process and the individual accountability of RNM officers.Criminal Justice: Legitimacy, accountability, and effectivit

Neo-liberalism, Privatization and the Outsourcing of Migration Management: A Five-Country Comparison

Current debates in migration studies underestimate or neglect altogether the implications of the privatization of migration management. Outsourcing control and detention functions to private companies is part of the paradigm of new public management. Such outsourcing has created self-reinforcing mechanisms and lock-in effects. However, the extent to which such privatization is embraced varies internationally depending on the degree of neo-liberalization of the state. Empirically, the article therefore analyses developments in countries with divergent levels of privatization of migration management, including the UK, Australia, the USA, Germany and the Netherlands