Law Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs

  • Received 23.01.2025,
  • Revised 28.02.2025,
  • Accepted 25.03.2025
Download article Download article
Volume 15, No. 1, 2025
  • illegal migration; illegal migrants; organised crime; interaction; crime prevention
  • https://doi.org/10.63341/naia-chasopis/1.2025.09
  • Pages 9-17

The relevance of this article is justified by the need to analyse the problematic aspects of studying the link between criminal activity among illegal migrants and organised crime. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive examination of international experience in preventing criminal offences committed by illegal migrants. To achieve this aim, the research employed general and specialised scientific methods, including analysis, synthesis, classification, and grouping, which facilitated the examination of a broad spectrum of academic discussions on the issue. A review of the scholarly literature enabled a critical analysis of the prevailing discourse on the erosion of distinctions between legality and illegality and the decriminalisation of unacceptable behaviour, particularly concerning illegal migrants. The analysis of research findings indicated that criminologists should prioritise the development of an effective state strategy for addressing crime, particularly that involving illegal migrants. Such a strategy would enable the optimal allocation of societal resources for countering criminal manifestations associated with illegal migration. It has been established that a significant obstacle to developing a scientific foundation and formulating such a policy is the lack of objective data, that would enable the construction of an accurate criminological profile of this social group. This is due to the fragmented nature of research on this subject and the absence of studies providing a comprehensive assessment of criminal activity among illegal migrants within specific states or large administrative units. The findings of this study may be applied in practice by governmental authorities to enhance migration policy and by law enforcement agencies to prevent criminal activity among illegal migrants

References

[1] Adamson, G. (2020). Migrants and Crime in Sweden in the Twenty-First Century. Society, 57, 9-21. doi: 10.1007/s12115-019-00436-8.

[2] Alvarez, P. (2021). Biden administration results in more of the same Trump immigration policies. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/30/politics/biden-harris-immigration/index.html.

[3] American Immigration Council. (2021). Rising border encounters in 2021: An overview and analysis. Retrieved from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/rising-border-encounters-in-2021.

[4] Anderson, J.B., & Gerber, J. (2008). Fifty years of change on the Mexico-U.S. border: Growth, development, and quality of life. Austin: University of Texas Press.

[5] Chouhy, C., & Madero-Hernandez, A. (2020). “Murderers, rapists, and bad hombres”: Deconstructing the immigration-crime myths”. In Crime and justice in the Trump era (pp. 75-88). New York: Routledge.

[6] Couttenier, M., Petrencu, V., Rohner, D., & Thoenig, M. (2019). The violent legacy of victimization: Post-conflict evidence on asylum seekers, crimes and public policy in Switzerland. American Economic Review, 109(12), 4378-4425. doi: 10.1257/aer.20170263.

[7] Del Carpio, X., & Wagner, M. (2019). The impact of Syrian refugees on the Turkish labour marketPolicy Research Working Paper Series, article number 7402.

[8] Dyussenova, A., Darkenov, K., & Abzhapparova, B. (2024). Transnational human trafficking in Central Asia: Scale, causes and solutions. Social and Legal Studios, 7(4), 201-211. doi: 10.32518/sals4.2024.201.

[9] Dzhuzha, O., Vasylevych, V., Chernei, V., & Cherniavskyi, V. (Eds.). (2020). Criminology. Kyiv: FOP Maslakov.

[10] Fernandez-Sebastian, M. (2020). Maritime dimension in the fight against illegal migration on the Western Mediterranean route. In J.M. Ramírez & J. Biziewski (Eds.), Security and defence in Europe (pp. 165-176). Cham: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-12293-5_13.

[11] Fontana, I. (2020). Migration crisis, organised crime and domestic politics in Italy: Unfolding the interplay. South European Society and Politics, 25(1), 49-74. doi: 10.1080/13608746.2020.1738092.

[12] Frolova, O. (2003). On the problem of information and methodological support of criminological researchLaw and Security, 2(2), 146-148.

[13] Golina, V.V., & Golovkin, B.M. (Eds.). (2017). Victimology. Kharkiv: Pravo.

[14] Gunadi, G. (2021). On the association between undocumented immigration and crime in the United States. Oxford Economic Papers, 73(1), 200-224, doi: 10.1093/oep/gpz057.

[15] Hailu, Z. (2024). Role of INTERPOL in countering migrant smuggling. Retrieved from https://surl.li/ibnpmi.

[16] Ikuteyijo, L.O. (2020). Irregular migration as survival strategy: Narratives from youth in urban Nigeria. In M. McLean (Ed.), West African youth challenges and opportunity pathways. Gender and cultural studies in Africa and the diaspora (pp. 53-77). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-21092-2_3.

[17] Kalinina, A. (2021). Influence of the quarantine within the prevention of COVID-19 on the migrantsʼ crime in Ukraine. Migration & Law, 1(1), 27-41. doi: 10.32752/2786-5185-2021-1-1-27-41.

[18] Korniakova, T.V., Sokolenko, O.L., & Yuzikov, G.S. (2016). Victimization modelling in the system of measures to ensure criminological security of society. Dnipro: Lira.

[19] Kulig, T.C., Graham, A., Cullen, F.T., Piquero, A.R., & Haner, M. (2021). “Bad hombres” at the Southern US border? White nationalism and the perceived dangerousness of immigrants. Journal of Criminology, 54(3), 283-304. doi: 10.1177/0004865820969760.

[20] Kuryliuk, Y., & Khalymon, S. (2020). Criminal profile of migrantsʼ smuggler across the state border of Ukraine. Amazonia Investiga, 9(27), 195-208. doi: 10.34069/AI/2020.27.03.21

[21] Kuryliuk, Y., Slyvka, M., & Kushnir, Y. (2021). Legal regulation of combating illegal migration in Ukraine and the EU. Cuestiones Politicas, 39(71), 472-491. doi: 10.46398/cuestpol.3971.26.

[22] Kuschminder, K., & Triandafyllidou, A. (2020). Smuggling, trafficking, and extortion: New conceptual and policy challenges on the Libyan route to Europe. Antipode, 52, 206-226. doi: 10.1111/anti.12579.

[23] Leiva, M., Vasquez-Lavín, F., & Ponce Oliva, R.D. (2020). Do immigrants increase crime? Spatial analysis in a middle-income country. World Development, 126, article number 104728. doi: 10.1016/j. worlddev.2019.104728.

[24] Lutsenko, Y.V., & Tarasiuk, A.V. (2021). The impact of organised crime on the migration policy of Ukraine. In Combating crime and corruption: International standards and Ukraineʼs experience (pp. 22-26). Kharkiv: Yurayt.

[25] Mesáros, M. (2021). Migration in the context of the principles of terrorism. Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, 7(4), 24-34. doi: 10.30525/2256-0742/2021-7-4-24-34.

[26] Murat Kirdar, G., López Cruz, I., & Türküm, B. (2022). The effect of 3.6 million refugees on crime. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 194, 568-582. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.11.014.

[27] Musolf, G.R. (2019). The asylum-seeking process: An American tradition. Conflict and Forced Migration (Studies in Symbolic Interaction), 51, 11-42. doi: 10.1108/S0163-239620190000051002.

[28] National Intelligence Council. (2021). Global trends 2040: More contested world. Retrieved from https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf.

[29] Nazarenko, D.O. (2013). Criminological analysis and counteraction to the background phenomena of crime. Kharkiv: Golden Mile.

[30] Neikova, M. (2024). Illegal migration as a risk factor and potential threat to Bulgarian national security. Strategies for Policy in Science and Education, 32(4), 83-88. doi: 10.53656/str2024-4s-8-ill.

[31] Nikitin, Y., Denisov, S., & Streltsov, E. (Eds.). (2018). Criminology. Kharkiv: Pravo.

[32] Paarlberg, M.A. (2022). Transnational gangs and criminal remittances: A conceptual framework. Comparative Migration Studies, 10(1). doi: 10.1186/s40878-022-00297-x.

[33] Pocuca, M., & Matijasevic, J. (2021). Migrations and their effect on human trafficking – security challenges for the European Union. Studies in European Affairs, 25(3), 27-38. doi: 10.33067/SE.3.2021.2.

[34] Pyshchulina, O., Yurchyshyn, V., Stetsiuk, P., & Mishchenko, M. (2023). The impact of migration processes on the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, Migration Policy of the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries. Kyiv: Razumkov Centre.

[35] Robert, B. (2021). Supreme court says Biden administration must comply with ruling to restart “Remain in Mexico Program for asylum seekers”. Retrieved from https://surl.li/ciuyhn.

[36] Serova, I.I. (2004). International legal mechanisms for combating illegal migration. (Doctoral thesis, V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law, Kyiv, Ukraine).

[37] Solomko, Y.Y. (2014). Some problems of preventing migrant crimeLaw and Society, 1, 201-206.

[38] Statistical data. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dmsu.gov.ua/diyalnist/statistichni-dani.html.

[39] The White House. (2025). Fact sheet: President Donald J. Trump protects the States and the American people by closing the border to illegals via proclamation. Retrieved from https://surl.li/psmxhs.

[40] Vasilevych, V. (2020). Criminological policy of Ukraine. Kyiv: National Academy of Internal Affairs.

[41] Visser, M.A., & Simpson, S.A. (2019). Determinants of county migrant regularization policymaking in the United States: Understanding temporal and spatial realities. Environment and Planning A-economy and Space, 51(1), 91-111. doi: 10.1177/0308518X18797134.