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676 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. 6 (2018)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0676 and id is 1 raw text is: Crimes of
Solidarity in
Mobility:
Alternative
Views on
Migrant
Smuggling
By
SHELDON X. ZHANG,
GABRIELLA E. SANCHEZ,
and
LUIGI ACHILLI

In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of
empirically based research projects on migrant smuggling,
seeking to create a more nuanced understanding of the
topic that supersedes perspectives that are often found in
mainstream narratives of unscrupulous and ruthless crim-
inal gangs preying on vulnerable and desperate migrants.
The contributing authors rely on field data to reveal the
complex and often symbiotic relationships between
migrants and the people behind their journeys. Often
misunderstood in juxtaposition to narratives of security
and control, the lived experiences of migrants describe
smuggling facilitators as relatives or close friends, acquaint-
ances or distant operators-all members of a social net-
work of varying relational proximity. Vulnerability in
migration grows as the travel distance and transit points
increase and the density of one's own community ties
decreases. The procurement of smuggling services is
always situated within the collective wisdom and lived
experiences of the migrants and their communities, and
the strategies to increase the odds of success and to reduce
the hazards and uncertainty of traversing foreign terrains.
Keywords: migrant smuggling; irregular migration;
organized crime; evidence-based policy
Illegal immigration generated much hyper-
bole in the most recent presidential election
in the United States and remains a hot topic in
public discourse, often tied to vital national
interests such as security and employment. In
the United States, the conversation on illegal
Sheldon X. Zhang is a professor at and chair of the School
of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of
Massachusetts, Lowell. His recent research primarily
revolves around transnational organized crime and
human trafficking issues.
Gabriella E. Sanez_ is a senior research fellow at the
Migration Policy Centre at the European University
Institute. A socioulitural anthropologist, her focus has
been on the social organization of migrant smuggling
groups. She has conducted fieldwork on the U.S.-
Mexico border, North Africa, the Middle East, Europe,
and Australia.
Correspondence: sheldon_zhang@uml.edu
DOI: 10.1177/0002716217746908

ANNALS, AAPSS, 676, March 2018

6

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