The international conference organized by ASGI will take place in Rome at the Città dell’Altra Economia on September 25–26, with the goal of analyzing the current state of border externalization policies and reflecting on legal strategies to counter them. Beginning with a comparison between the European, U.S., and Australian approaches, the event seeks to discuss the impact of migration policies on legal systems and to develop concrete tools for the protection of people on the move.
For at least a decade, we have witnessed a steady expansion of European border externalization policies, particularly in African countries. Starting from the 2015–2016 period, this strategy has deeply affected the fundamental rights of migrants, severely limiting their freedom of movement and effective access to protection.
The Italy-Albania Protocol marks a significant shift in these policies: for the first time in the European Union, asylum procedures are being “deterritorialized,” a model previously envisioned in the UK’s agreement with Rwanda. In this context, engaging with the Australian experience becomes essential—it represents perhaps the most extreme model of externalization: those attempting to enter Australia “irregularly” cannot apply for asylum on its territory but are instead detained for years on the offshore islands outside Australian territory, such as Manus and Nauru.
The European Commission’s proposal of March 11, 2025, moves firmly in the same direction, introducing the possibility of returning irregular foreign nationals to a third country with which return agreements—so-called return hubs—have been signed.
In Italy, public debate has mainly focused on the financial costs of implementing the Protocol with Albania, while the serious legal implications remain less known. Among these are the removal of safeguards protecting fundamental rights—such as the right to life, the right to a thorough examination of one’s protection claim, personal liberty, and the right to legal defense—for specific groups of people.
Talking about asylum procedures, border detention, and the legal fiction of non-entry does not mean describing neutral immigration management mechanisms in Europe. These are measures intentionally designed to reduce the chances of obtaining protection, to isolate migrants from civil society, and to provide merely formal—rather than substantive—guarantees of their rights, leaving them in prolonged, dehumanizing conditions.
Political discourse and legal intervention feed off one another. Today, the discourse has moved beyond the criminalization of migration and solidarity among migrants—it has evolved into the weaponization of migrants, who are portrayed as a hybrid threat.
Through contributions from lawyers, journalists, and activists, the conference Mapping Irresponsibility: Externalization Policies and the Rule of Law aims to reconstruct and analyze the impact of border externalization policies on the broader system of rights and legal safeguards. Drawing on insights from Europe, the United States, and Australia, and based on the the experiences developed over the years within ASGI’s Sciabaca&Oruka, Medea, and In Limine projects, this conference—structured around panel discussions and practical workshops—offers a public moment of reflection and an opportunity to examine both the strategies already in place and those yet to be explored.
The event will be held in Italian and English, with simultaneous translation available. Admission is free upon registration and attendance is in person only.
Participation in the conference entitles attendees to 8 training credits recognized by the Rome Bar Association.
