globalborders.org.uk

Where are borders to be found in a world where networks and flows allow for unrestrained global communications, mobility is the key to both personal freedom and identity politics, and Europe’s internal borders are all but dissolved?

Locating borders has become a ‘hot topic’ in the academic literature in recent years as it has become increasingly evident that borders are not only ‘at the border’: they can be elsewhere too – at airports, in railway stations, in internet cafes, and along the motorway. Security functions associated with bordering have in many cases been privatized (by offloading security checks to airlines and other carriers, for example) and states regulate their borders by ‘remote control’. However, the majority of academic commentators still concentrate their attention on the borders between states, taking the view that borders are lines which delineate a legal space and mark the limit of a particular sovereign jurisdiction.

It seems that the UK authorities are way ahead of the scholarship. In a  recent publication entitled ‘Securing the UK border: our vision and strategy for the future’ (Home Office, March 2007) the Borders and Immigration Agency takes a far from conventional view of where the UK borders are to be found; ‘no longer at the White Cliffs of Dover’, according to one Government spokesperson. According to ‘Securing the UK border’, ‘border control can no longer be just a fixed line on a map … we must create a new offshore line of defence, checking individuals as far from the UK as possible’. Moreover, the aim, according to the Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, is to lay the foundation stone for ‘offshore borders all over the world’.

Not only does Britain have ‘offshore’ borders, it also has ‘juxtaposed’ borders. The UK and France has ‘swapped’ border controls at either end of the Eurostar route, the UK passport controls being located in Paris and Lille and the French controls at Waterloo station. Significant benefits are claimed for this initiative: a 70% reduction in unfounded asylum claims since 2002. What does having a ‘juxtaposed’ or ‘offshore’ border mean in real terms, and what are they designed to do? Offshore borders are designed to combat methods of illegal entry to the UK by exercising tighter controls on the issue of travel visas throughout the world, fining airlines who carry passengers not in possession of the correct documents, and by preventing clandestine entry at unauthorized entry points such as remote parts of the coast and small airfields. An important development is the ‘electronic borders’ (e-borders) programme. Travellers to the UK will be required to submit personal details prior to travel, thus allowing the UK authorities to authorise or deny permission to travel at an early stage.

 The UK’s borders are now offshore and remote and the ‘Securing the UK border’ document displays a heavy reliance upon ‘e-borders’, especially the use of biometric visas and the ‘remote control’ of  passenger carriers. However, the government’s problem is that these initiatives do not necessarily increase public confidence that the country is safe from terrorist attacks, traffickers, and illegal immigrants. The government has to be seen to be doing something reassuring. It is within this context that we can understand the August 2007 announcement that immigration officers at Gatwick Airport have been given new uniforms ‘to make it clear to people that they are at a UK border’. Home Office minister Tony McNulty said ‘We are determined to improve public confidence in how immigration is managed. Key to this is the creation of highly visible staff at our borders, to deter people who have no right to be here.’  

The future may be ‘e-borders’ but dressing up the old border in new clothes is also a key part of the government’s strategy.

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