Paper short abstract:

The paper aims to highlight policing and securitizing migration in Russia in the examples of two major fields which is directly related to the policing of migrants/migration and mobility namely propiska regime and deportation regime.

Paper long abstract:

Russian migration politics is a dynamic process which adopts to the political economic, and social currents which implies fluidity, changing character and also insecurrity for those who suffer from such hostile politics namely migrants. Others who are in the powerfuk positions such as judges, police, employers and the like benefit from uncertainties and insecurities of migrants. Uncertainties are produced through a continuous state of deportability and how mobility or a limitation to it lead to the violation of basic human rights related to mobility and the freedom of movement (Turaeva 2013).

The paper aims to highlight policing and securitizing migration in Russia in the examples of two major fields which is directly related to the policing of migrants/migration and mobility namely propiska regime and deportation regime. Both regimes are two major problems which each migrant faces, fears and has to deal with on a daily basis while avoiding police raids, paying police fees, or just dealing with any documents which can directly lead to deportation. This is what De Genova describes as a condition of ‘enforced orientation to the present’ (De Genova 2005: 427) as the future is so insecure that each day need to be spent as much as productive in case one is deported. The experiences of being deportable is intense and contributes to the reproduction of uncertainty, which makes the same situation potent for those in power and happily benefit from the same. Uncertainty is resource which are at hand for employers who can then abuse migrants.