‘Say What the Government Wants and Do What Is Good for Your Family’

Abstract

Contemporary dominant literature and media reports on irregular migration portray migrants as victims of human trafficking and smuggling rings. They focus on the criminal aspects of the roles of those who involve in migration facilitation. This chapter challenges such arguments for downplaying the dynamism and social complexity of the organization of migration facilitation. With a visible departure from the existing hegemonic statist arguments, the chapter emphasizes the views from below. It highlights the roles of aspiring migrants, their families, and other social relations such as religious networks. In other words, it presents the active agency of the migrants and their families in planning, finding brokers, financing and playing active part in initialising the smuggling process with a purpose of realising the migrants’ desired future and the wellbeing of their families.