The Policy of Deportation and Detention in Greece and the UK - Research Proposal Example

THE POLICY OF DEPORTATION AND DETENTION IN GREECE AND THE UKSeeking to explore European immigration policies with respect to asylum seekers and refugees in comparative perspective, I propose to analyze the policies of deportation and detention in Greece and the United Kingdom, respectively. European immigration is an important issue which is receiving more and more attention in light of global economic flight from the poorest regions of the world and the humanitarian crises forcing people to abandon their lives and seek a better life.

Along with the United States, Australia and Canada, the European Union remains one of the most sought after destinations for migrants from around the world and both Greece and the United Kingdom receive their fare share of migrants, both legal and illegal. This is an understudied field of scholarship and I hope to bring my extensive analytical skills to your university in order to pursue my studies. The following will provide a summary of my proposed research questions as well as the intended methodology.

Research QuestionsThrough an exploratory analysis of the immigration policies of both Greece and the United Kingdom, central questions I hope to address include the following: how do the immigration policies of Greece and the UK differ with respect to illegal migrants? Alternatively how are their policies the same? What roles do deportation and detention play in the immigration process and how have Greece and the UK applied these measures in an attempt to stem the flows of migration, both legal and illegal?

What role does the European Union play in dictating immigration policy and what does Brussels have to say with respect to the deportation and detention of migrants? These questions and many more will be explored in this comparative analysis of the immigration systems of both Greece and the United Kingdom. Utilizing data from the UK Border Services as well as from the Greek national authorities, this analysis will integrate raw concrete data with scholarly research in the field of immigration studies.

MethodologyA comparative exploration of immigration policies in the twenty-first century will benefit significantly from an amalgamation of the latest scholarly research on the subject of British and Greek immigration trends and policies with tangible demographics obtained through the respective immigration authorities of each national government (EU statistics may also be used in this endeavor). Accordingly, the basis of this analysis will largely be qualitative but this analysis will most certainly benefit from quantitative data on immigration trends and issues.

A mixed qualitative/quantitative research framework will provide the primary methodological underpinnings of this analysis. We will utilize the best scholarly research in the field, including peer-reviewed journals and books published by university presses. Issues and Available ResearchImmigration remains an important issue in a global world and the rights of migrants are rarely brought to the fore. Principle issues included in the study of deportation, detention and disposition are the respect for human rights and the inaliable rights of individuals seeking a better life, regardless of race, creed or nationality.

I will also explore the refugee/asylum seeker process in each respective country. What does the literature say about the rights of migrants and their abuse as part of the European immigration process? In “Used, Abused, Arrested and Deported”, Dina Francesca Haynes examines the maltreatment of migrants in to the EU and argues for legislative change to combat their maltreatment at the hands of traffickers and malicious immigration authorities. In “The Deportation Machine: Europe, Asylum and Human Rights” Liz Fekete examines the human rights of migrants through a race and class-based lens.

Furthermore, in Citizenship Today, Aleinikoff et al. provide a succinct analysis as to why people choose to immigrate abroad and explores the ethical and moral issues associated with transnational migration. Seeking to address these questions and many more, my research intends to provide a holistic approach to analyzing an important social phenomenon which is seeped in complexity and intrigue. This is an understudied field of scholarship and I hope to bring my research project to your institution and thank you for taking the time to consider my application.

ReferencesAleinikoff, T.A. et al. 2001. Citizenship Today: Global Perspectives and PracticesWashington: Brookings Institution Press.Fekete, L. (2005). “The deportation machine: Europe, asylum and human rights”, Race & Class, Vol. 47, No. 1, 64-78.Haynes, D.F. (2004). “Used, Abused, Arrested and Deported: Extending Immigration Benefits to Protect the Victims of Trafficking and to Secure the Prosecution of Traffickers”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 2.