Border Control

Border controls are perceived as an important prerogative of the sovereign albeit both historically, and at present, many countries abstain or have abstained from exercising them. Border checks on persons and the surveillance of the border between border crossing points may be and in an increasing fashion are externalized and relocated to other countries or to the digital space. Visa obligations, electronic travel permits, carrier sanctions, and control by liaison officers are tools used far from the controlling state to prevent even the departure of the potential border crosser and frequently deprive the asylum seeker from reaching safety. The application of AI, smart border technologies, data mining, and profiling threaten to exclude persons whose digital imprint coincides with that of a profile declared to be undesirable. At the same time, automated border crossing systems are capable of enhancing movement across borders of ‘regular,’ ‘reliable’ travellers. Border controls are expressions of power, a tool to maintain the difference between the in-group and the out-group.