National legitimations of enforcement measures or a human right to migration? Arguments for or against deportations

Abstract

Deportation is based on the concept of national sovereignty and implies enforcement by the state. Therefore, does the reflection of deportations challenge the nation state? This article is the result of a qualitative study that analyses argumentations of actors involved in the deportation process. The contribution discusses to what extent argumentations for and against deportations refer to existing normative guidelines of social order. The findings show that arguments both for and against deportations are strongly relying upon the nation state. The actors refer to aspects of the rule of law, integration, economic equilibrium, delinquency, humanitarianism and human rights. The only identifiable exception in the reflection of deportations based on the claim for a human right to migration.