From “Managing” to Controlling Migration? Discourses and Practices of the International Organization for Migration

Although its mandate concerns what is today one of the most politicized issues in Western countries, there have been few studies of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). An examination of its history, doctrine and practices shows that it has long been a fragile institution in a context in which there was no solid international regime to govern migration policies. Since the 1990s, however, it has established itself as a key actor in the globalization and externalization of migration policies. Its strategy consists in depoliticizing migratory issues and promoting a technical management of migration that focuses on its economic utility for all parties (origin countries, destination countries, migrants). This allows IOM to present itself as a neutral intermediary that is at once accepted by states, civil society and the private sector. However, this depoliticization is accompanied by an alignment on the interests of western immigration countries and therefore makes highly political interventions possible, particularly in sending countries.