News from the research project „MORE“

The research project MORE: Motivations, Experiences, and Consequences of Returns and Readmission Policy: Revealing and Developing Effective Alternatives is nearing its final phase. As a partner institution in Göttingen, we are currently playing a key role in drafting the final report on the last work package, which focuses on alternatives to deportation and return policies. This involves examining approaches that enable a shift away from return-oriented policies and provide people without secure residency with greater security, better living conditions, and access to society.

Current research findings from Germany show that return policies are by no means efficient; rather, the numerous legislative changes in recent years have primarily resulted in the impoverishment and lack of prospects for people living in the country without secure residency. Numerous civil society initiatives, however, are developing alternatives. They provide access to basic medical and legal care, cooperate with local authorities to open up prospects for migrants to remain, or, as churches and committed citizens, offer protection and asylum themselves. In doing so, they send a strong message of humanity, a society based on solidarity and mutual support, and the protection of fundamental rights—even in the face of increasingly restrictive political conditions.

All previous project results and publications from earlier phases of the project remain available on the project website. In addition to the reports, the website also features thematically related publications and contributions from partners in the research network, which provide in-depth insight into ongoing debates surrounding (im)mobility, deportations, detention pending deportation, rights to remain, criminalization, border regimes, and social participation: https://www.moreproject-horizon.eu/publications/

Building on our local workshop to survey the research field in Germany in 2024, we are planning a follow-up workshop in Göttingen for June 2026. Two years later, we aim to compile the theoretical perspectives that the now-expanded research on German and European return and deportation policies has identified so far, as well as the gaps that remain open for further research. In doing so, we want to consider—especially against the backdrop of the new wave of right-wing and authoritarian transformation processes in Europe—what perspectives and what research are needed to understand these trends and counter them with democratic alternatives.