SPIMEC: Sanctuary Policies for Irregular Migrants in European Cities
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen Mary University of London
Department Name: Politics
Abstract
In times of closed borders and restrictive immigration laws, many European cities have enacted "sanctuary policies" (SPs) to support the growing number of residents with irregular migration status. Through SPs, local governments disrupt the monopoly of nationstates over immigration and citizenship, challenging conventional understandings of governance in liberal democracies.
The core question of Sanctuary Policies for Irregular Migrants in European Cities (SPIMEC) is to explain the varieties, drivers, and impacts of SPs in Europe. Bridging insights from multiple disciplines, SPIMEC theorises that local governments are situated at the crossroad of political mobilisation from the bottom up and institutional restrictions from the top down. These different, often contradictory forces shape the opportunities and constraints for SPs.
SPIMEC relies on a threefold comparative research design, analysing SPs across (1) national contexts (in North-West, South, and Central-East Europe); (2) local contexts (in terms of city politics and society), and (3) over time (looking at the "refugee crisis", Brexit, and COVID-19 as potential turning points for policy change).
A quantitative Large-N study compares Europe's 95 largest cities, drawing on existing datasets and secondary literature. Next, a quali-quantitative Small-N study zooms in on four city-cases based on original fieldwork data. SPIMEC aims to make a timely, urgent, and path-breaking contribution to migration studies. It will produce unique empirical data on European SPs to provide the information cities need to promote migrant integration, as well as new theoretical insights on urban politics and multi-level governance more broadly. Addressing this gap is of utmost importance from a substantive point of view.
SPIMEC shall provide policy recommendations to stakeholders supporting irregular migrants, whose condition of exclusion and invisibility is more relevant than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The core question of Sanctuary Policies for Irregular Migrants in European Cities (SPIMEC) is to explain the varieties, drivers, and impacts of SPs in Europe. Bridging insights from multiple disciplines, SPIMEC theorises that local governments are situated at the crossroad of political mobilisation from the bottom up and institutional restrictions from the top down. These different, often contradictory forces shape the opportunities and constraints for SPs.
SPIMEC relies on a threefold comparative research design, analysing SPs across (1) national contexts (in North-West, South, and Central-East Europe); (2) local contexts (in terms of city politics and society), and (3) over time (looking at the "refugee crisis", Brexit, and COVID-19 as potential turning points for policy change).
A quantitative Large-N study compares Europe's 95 largest cities, drawing on existing datasets and secondary literature. Next, a quali-quantitative Small-N study zooms in on four city-cases based on original fieldwork data. SPIMEC aims to make a timely, urgent, and path-breaking contribution to migration studies. It will produce unique empirical data on European SPs to provide the information cities need to promote migrant integration, as well as new theoretical insights on urban politics and multi-level governance more broadly. Addressing this gap is of utmost importance from a substantive point of view.
SPIMEC shall provide policy recommendations to stakeholders supporting irregular migrants, whose condition of exclusion and invisibility is more relevant than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publications
Bazurli R
(2024)
The Far Right Out of Its Comfort Zone? Framing Opposition to Immigration during COVID-19 in Italy
in Government and Opposition
Bazurli R
(2023)
Explaining variation in city sanctuary policies: insights from American and European cities
in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Bazurli R
(2025)
Collaborative governance in politicized times: the battle over asylum policies in Italian cities
in Policy and Society
| Description | In response to the rise of far-right politics and restrictive immigration policies, many European cities have adopted sanctuary policies to support residents with irregular migration status. These policies challenge the traditional national monopoly over immigration and citizenship, raising critical questions about governance in liberal democracies. The SPIMEC project investigates the varieties, drivers, and impacts of these policies across Europe, using insights from multiple disciplines. It theorizes that local governments operate at a crossroad-influenced by grassroots activism from below and institutional constraints from above. Through fieldwork in four cities (Barcelona, London, Milan, and Rotterdam), including 44 interviews with key stakeholders and extensive analysis of policy documents and media reports, the project aims to contribute both to governance theory and practical policymaking. Key Findings from Case Studies • Barcelona: One of the most advanced cities in sanctuary policymaking. It provides undocumented migrants with access to critical municipal services, protections from deportation through the city register (padrón municipal), and opportunities for democratic participation via the Municipal Immigration Council. These policies thrive due to strong grassroots advocacy, political commitment, and skilled bureaucratic leadership, as well as a relatively supportive regional and national context. • London (Lewisham Borough): While the UK's sanctuary movement has traditionally focused on refugees rather than undocumented migrants, Lewisham is pushing these boundaries by offering concrete support, such as improved access to housing and healthcare. The borough also stopped sharing data on rough sleepers with immigration authorities. However, local efforts face significant national constraints, including the UK's Hostile Environment policies, Brexit, and austerity-driven budget cuts. • Milan: The city has mostly adopted symbolic sanctuary policies, with some limited tangible measures introduced in recent years. These include temporary winter shelters for undocumented individuals, legal aid to prevent deportations, and an end to police raids on public transport. However, deeper interventions are hindered by anti-immigrant opposition at the local level and restrictive policies from Italy's highly centralized national government. • Rotterdam: Sanctuary policies follow a restrictive approach. While some Dutch cities provide basic services ("bed, bread, bath" or BBB policies), the national LVV policy-a partnership between the government, cities, and NGOs-ties migrant support to cooperation with immigration enforcement, including "voluntary return" programs. Rotterdam has implemented strict access criteria and emphasized enforcement, reflecting its conservative political culture and the influence of anti-immigrant parties. With a new far-right government in 2024, Rotterdam is likely to follow the national shift away from migrant support, in contrast to liberal cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht, which plan to reinstate local sanctuary policies. Broader Implications These case studies illustrate the diversity of sanctuary policies across Europe. While not representative of all approaches, they highlight key patterns: • Local leadership matters: Successful policies require committed elected officials, skilled bureaucrats, and strong civil society networks. • National policies shape local action: The scope of city-level sanctuary initiatives depends heavily on national immigration laws and the degree of local autonomy. • Cities as global actors: Beyond migration, cities are increasingly at the forefront of tackling global challenges-such as climate change, gentrification, and poverty-that affect local communities but exceed their legal jurisdictions. By exploring how cities navigate constraints and innovate solutions, SPIMEC contributes to a deeper understanding of urban governance and the role of local governments in shaping a more just, democratic, and sustainable future. |
| Exploitation Route | The project serves as a knowledge exchange hub, allowing cities to showcase successful sanctuary policies, reflect on challenges, and learn from experiences in other contexts. Specifically, its findings are valuable for: • Municipal governments across Europe and beyond, providing insights on effective strategies for integrating and supporting newcomers. • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that offer support and advocacy for migrants in European cities. • Academia, where the project's findings contribute to urban studies, migration studies, and social movement research. The preliminary results already indicate that SPIMEC has the potential to make a groundbreaking contribution to these fields. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
| Description | Affiliation to the project "Urban Sanctuary, Migrant Solidarity and Hospitality in Global Perspective" (Toronto Metropolitan University) |
| Organisation | Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Dr. Raffaele Bazurli was invited to become an affiliate of the project Urban Sanctuary, Migrant Solidarity, and Hospitality in Global Perspective (Soli*City), led by Professor Harald Bauder at Toronto Metropolitan University. This is likely the world's largest research network focused on sanctuary cities, aligning with the themes of SPIMEC. Dr. Bazurli contributed to this partnership by presenting his research at the International Conference on Public Policy (2023), hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University. Following Donald Trump's election as the 47th President of the United States, Dr. Bazurli joined the Migration Working Group on Sanctuary & Resistance-a collaborative initiative of the Soli*City Research Network and the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. This initiative aims to strengthen sanctuary efforts through knowledge exchange among researchers, policymakers, and community organizers. The group held its first meeting on 15 January 2025 (see "Engagement Activities" section) and will continue with monthly sessions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partner organizations, particularly Toronto Metropolitan University, have supported the partnership by enhancing the visibility of affiliates' work (e.g., through their newsletter) and covering expenses related to the International Conference on Public Policy, including conference fees. |
| Impact | > 6th International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP6), 27-29 June 2023, Toronto Metropolitan University - Panel: Comparative Approaches to Urban Policy: Supporting the Needs of Precarious Migrants. > Migration Working Group on Sanctuary & Resistance, First Meeting, 15 January 2025 - A collaborative initiative of the SoliCity Research Network* and the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. This collaboration is multidisciplinary, bringing together experts in sociology, political science, geography, law, and anthropology. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | "Sanctuary Policies for Irregular Migrants in European Cities", City Initiative on Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe (C-MISE), University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 23 April 2024, Dr Raffaele Bazurli was invited to present his UKRI-funded research at a policy event hosted by the City Initiative on Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe (C-MISE), a knowledge-exchange programme based at the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS). The event brought together policymakers from European cities that have implemented or are planning to implement local policies supporting undocumented migrants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/event/sanctuary-policies-for-irregular-migrants-in-european-cities-disma... |
| Description | Breaking the Humanitarianism-Equity Dilemma in Health Services for Undocumented Migrants: A Response to Piccoli & Perna (2024) (Commentary for 'The Ethics of Migration Policy Dilemmas' project, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In a recent academic article, scholars Lorenzo Piccoli and Roberta Perna offer fresh insights into civil society groups that provide healthcare services to individuals with irregular migration status. These groups appear inevitably torn between their mission to help anyone in need and the risk of fueling welfare state retrenchment-a tension the authors define as the humanitarianism-equity dilemma. In this comment piece, Dr Raffaele Bazurli put Piccoli's and Perna's discussion in dialogue with critical scholarship on welfare retrenchment, humanitarianism, and contentious politics. Ultimately, he suggests that political activism presents an uneasy yet transformative path out of the humanitarianism-equity dilemma. Despite mobilising from the periphery, immigrant advocates wield strategic leverage to drive far-reaching political change while providing essential services to people with care needs but no regular status. This commentary, written as part of "The Ethics of Migration Policy Dilemmas" project at the European University Institute's Migration Policy Centre, is intended for professional practitioners, charities, third-sector organizations, and policymakers working to protect the healthcare of undocumented immigrants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://migrationpolicycentre.eu/the-ethics-of-migration-policy-dilemmas/private-healthcare-provisio... |
| Description | City University of New York, Graduate Center, Immigration Seminar Series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 18 September 2018, during a one-month visit to The City University of New York (see 'Secondments' section), Dr. Raffaele Bazurli presented his UKRI-funded research at a public event (Immigration Seminar Series) at the CUNY Graduate Center. The event, attended by approximately 70 people, sparked a lively debate, with numerous questions comparing the conditions of undocumented immigrants and sanctuary policies in Europe and the United States. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.gc.cuny.edu/events/immigration-seminar-series-sanctuary-policies-irregular-migrants-euro... |
| Description | Guest lecture in the module "Cities in Global Context" (Northeastern University) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | On 21 November 2024, Dr. Raffaele Bazurli was invited by Professor Berna Turam to deliver a guest lecture on his UKRI-funded research for the undergraduate module Cities in Global Context at Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA). The lecture, attended by approximately 30 students, sparked a vibrant debate, with numerous questions comparing the conditions of undocumented immigrants and sanctuary policies in Europe and the United States. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Guest lecture in the module "Democracy and Multi-Level Governance" (University of Zurich) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecture on sanctuary cities in the module "Democracy and Multi-Level Governance," University of Zurich, Spring 2023, MA level |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Guest lecture in the module "Social Science Methodology" (University of Padua) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecture on sanctuary cities in the module "Social Science Methodology," University of Padua, Fall 2023, MA level |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Guest lecture in the module "Welfare States and New Social Risks" (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecture on sanctuary cities in the module "Welfare States and New Social Risks," Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Fall 2023, MA level |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Migration Working Group on Sanctuary & Resistance (collaborative initiative of the Soli*City Research Network and the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Following Donald Trump's election as the 47th President of the United States, Dr. Raffaele Bazurli joined the Migration Working Group on Sanctuary & Resistance-a collaborative initiative of the Soli*City Research Network and the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility (see "Collaborations & Partnerships" section). This initiative aims to strengthen sanctuary efforts through knowledge exchange among researchers, policymakers, and community organizers. The group held its first meeting on 15 January 2025 and will continue with monthly sessions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.torontomu.ca/urban-sanctuary-solidarity-hospitality/ |
| Description | Protezione Temporanea e Accoglienza dei Profughi Ucraini in Italia e in Spagna ("Temporary Protection and Reception of Ukrainian Forced Migrants in Italy and Spain") |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On 10 May 2023, the ISMU Foundation, in Milan, hosted Raffaele Bazurli as a speaker for the webinar "Protezione Temporanea e Accoglienza dei Profughi Ucraini in Italia e in Spagna" ('Temporary Protection and Reception of Ukrainian Forced Migrants in Italy and Spain'). During his speech, Raffaele Bazurli has discussed Barcelona's asylum policies before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7EUGNTZUCs |
| Description | Spheres of Sanctuary: Creating Safe Spaces for Irregular Migrants through Territorial, Social and Discursive Practices |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 23 November 2023, the Standing Group on Migration and Ethnicity of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) hosted Raffaele Bazurli as a speaker for the webinar "Spheres of Sanctuary: Creating Safe Spaces for Irregular Migrants through Territorial, Social and Discursive Practices". During his speech, Raffaele has presented his paper on American and European sanctuary cities, co-authored with Els de Graauw and published in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (see "Publication" section). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00HohiI3j84 |
| Description | The Rise of Sanctuary Cities During the European "Refugee Crisis" (entry in the "Europe Matters" blog, hosted by the Centre for European Research at Queen Mary University of London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This blog entry was an opportunity to raise awareness on "sanctuary cities" (i.e. SPIMEC's core topic) among the general public, students, media, and policymakers. Through a jargon-free language, it presents the key features of sanctuary initiatives across Europe and beyond. These contents build on the research carried out during SPIMEC's first months of activity as well on as an online event organised at QMUL in 2022, which brought together scholars, policymakers, and activists involved in sanctuary initiatives. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.qmul.ac.uk/cer/europemattersblog/items/the-rise-of-sanctuary-cities-during-the-european-... |
| Description | Two guest lectures in the module "Migration and International Public Policy" (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Two guest lectures on sanctuary cities in the module "Migration and International Public Policy," Queen Mary University of London, Spring 2023, MA level |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Weekly seminars and one guest lecture in the module "Migration and the Politics of Belonging" (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Weekly seminars and one guest lecture in the module "Migration and the Politics of Belonging," Queen Mary University of London, Spring 2023, BA level |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |