Contesting borders in the ‘age of migration’: progressive border activism in the US and Europe

Migrant rights movements have gradually emerged in North America and Europe since the late 1970s, highlighting border violence and the marginalization of ‘non-citizens.’ As migration conflicts have intensified, migrant rights activism has proliferated, becoming a prominent progressive movement. Despite its growing relevance, scholarly reflection on migrant rights activism has only recently increased, with US and European literature rarely interacting and developing distinct focuses. In this chapter, we compare border activism as a particular type of migrant rights activism in these two regions. We show that the repertoires of contention, as well as the beliefs, values, and discursive frames guiding these activists, differ between the United States and Europe. Despite these contextual differences, our analysis reveals parallels in progressive border activism, reflecting global inequalities manifested in the exclusionary and violent nature of borders.