Crimes of Mobility: Criminal Law and the Regulation of Immigration

The criminalisation of immigration status has historically served functions of exclusion and control against those who defy the state's powers over its territory and population. In the last two decades, the powers to exclude and punish have been enhanced by the expansion of the catalogue of immigration offences and the more systematic enforcement of these powers in the UK. This book examines the role of criminal law in the enforcement of immigration controls in the last two decades in the UK. The period between 1997 and 2009 witnessed the fastest and largest expansion of the catalogue of immigration crimes since 1905. As a consequence, more offences have been created and more individuals have been subject to the hybrid immigration and criminal justice system. This book critically analyses the process of formal criminalisation of immigration status and explores whether and how these offences are enforced in practice.