Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

There is a rapidly progressing intertwining of migration management and militarisation at the EU’s Eastern border, which we call “militarigration”. Given current developments, especially in Poland, we aim to present this concept and outline how it differs from securitisation.

Paper long abstract

The Eastern border of the European Union has emerged as a critical site of both migration management and regional security. Following a series of geopolitical crises—including the Belarusian instrumentalisation of migration in 2021 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022—EU member states bordering Russia and Belarus have implemented a range of measures to assert control over migration flows while reinforcing national and regional collective security. All of the above led to the rapidly progressing intertwining of migration management and militarisation at the EU’s Eastern border, which we call “militarigration”. The term refers to the deployment of military forces, armed personnel, and militarised infrastructure to regulate migration flows, effectively merging border security and defence objectives. It encompasses both material measures—such as fences, barriers, and checkpoints—and operational strategies, including surveillance, Frontex deployments, and military patrolling. The concept highlights how the militarisation of border controls transforms migration governance into a security-oriented, state-centric practice, in which the management of human mobility is inseparable from responding to existential threats to the nation. We argue that militarigration is the next step in the long-time observed securitisation of both migration and people on the move. The paper aims to present the concept of militarigration and how it differs from securitisation. The example will be the EU Eastern Border with a special focus on Poland.