Grassroots Aid to Immigrants: Navigating the Overlapping Layers of Government Management
Title: Navigating the Pecking Order: The Impact of Deservingness Hierarchy on Migrants in Amsterdam
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This presentation takes a deep dive into the early stages of the "National Alien Services" program, originally established in the Netherlands between 2019-2022. This groundbreaking initiative created a national network of resources to house and assist undocumented immigrants in five major Dutch cities, unifying various urban-level efforts. We focus on Amsterdam, revealing the emergence of a new migrant hierarchy centered on deservingness within the program.
Through the perspectives of civil society, migrants, and local policymakers, we'll explore the unintended consequences of this hierarchy, which has inadvertently reduced the autonomy of local reception practices, limitingaccess for undocumented migrants seeking shelter. Furthermore, we delve into the role of the migrant squatting movement in the city and the impact on these dynamics. By examining the intersection of migration, reception, and urban policies through the lens of deservingness, we contribute to the ongoing theoretical debate and offer insights on the negotiations between various actors managing these hierarchies at the crossroads of local and national governance levels.
The presence of a deservingness hierarchy in Amsterdam, in the context of the LVV (Local Integration and Participation Visa) program and urban policies, has far-reaching consequences:
- Program Implementation:
- The LVV program, designed to present alternative legality avenues for irregular migrants, faces challenges due to the developing hierarchy. Migrants perceived as more deserving often find it easier to leverage the program's benefits, while those deemed less deserving may encounter obstacles.
- Urban Policies and Social Services:
- Urban policies can become polarized when influenced by deservingness hierarchies, leading to unequal access to essential services such as housing, healthcare, and employment assistance for migrants.
- Community Integration:
- The fitness of migrants to fit within local communities can be compromised by hierarchies of deservingness, as more deserving migrants are often more readily embraced while less deserving migrants may face exclusion.
- Multi-Level Governance:
- The involvement of multiple governance tiers can complicate matters. Local policies may align or conflict with higher-level regulations, either supporting or undermining efforts to address the unequal treatment created by the hierarchy of deservingness.
Overall, this deservingness hierarchy among undocumented migrants in Amsterdam can lead to unequal resources distribution and opportunities. These disparities, in turn, can impact the ability of migrants to integrate within society, as well as their access to necessary resources provided by local programs like the LVV. Don't miss our upcoming webinar to learn more about these crucial issues in theър realm of migration and urban policies!
During the C-MISE Research Exchange Webinars, we will discuss the emergence of a deservingness hierarchy among undocumented migrants in Amsterdam, which has far-reaching implications. This hierarchy affects the implementation of programs like the LVV, as irregular migrants deemed more deserving benefit easier from the program, while less deserving migrants face challenges. Furthermore, unequal access to essential services such as housing, healthcare, and employment assistance may result from polarized urban policies influenced by deservingness hierarchies. Join us for an insightful discussion on how these hierarchies can impact the ability of migrants to integrate within society and access necessary resources provided by local programs.
