‘Disposable people’: borderlands and state securitization in the EU

Focusing on human security and protection, this chapter examines EU state responses to the Mediterranean migrant crisis It specifically highlights a normalizing of state securitization practices across the EU which has not only impeded refugee safety, but has also given rise to a type of ‘crisis’ mentality that evokes a dehumanization of the refugee As such, the chapter advances the need to prioritize human security measures and seeks to provide a counter-narrative to political discussions that affirm state securitization In contrast, the chapter promotes a refugee-centred approach, promoting a deepened understanding of the lived experience of the refugee This requires directing the conversation away from state security and border control to a concern for human life and more specifically the right to freedom, dignity and respect, promoted in the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.