https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/34017 2026-04-10T21:02:06Z 2026-04-10T21:02:06Z Omilusi, Mike https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142559 2026-01-07T14:58:55Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Malta’s migration governance and the task of managing external borders in the European Union context Authors: Omilusi, Mike Abstract: In the last two decades, Malta has often maintained its humanitarian commitment to managing border and asylum procedures in the context of international conventions. This is particularly emphasized in relation to rescuing migrants and generally enhancing safety and security of border crossings. Though the smallest EU member state has initiated policies aimed at reducing illegal and unsafe crossings to its shores, the country still hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the EU with 25.3 per cent of its population being foreign nationals. This paper examines the measures put in place by the Maltese authorities to manage the enormous inflow of migrants on its shores in tandem with the four pillars of European Agenda on Migration. It also interrogates the institutional means and structural capacity of Malta to ensure the efficient implementation of the European Border Surveillance system (EUROSUR) on the one hand or provide rights-based approach to migration and asylum on the other hand. Lastly, it identifies Malta’s collaborative efforts with other countries in the last twenty years and peculiar challenges faced by the more exposed countries (i.e. Malta, Spain, Italy and Greece) in the course of countering irregular border crossings.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Omilusi, Mike https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142554 2026-01-08T09:28:46Z 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Living with ‘uninvited guests’ of necessity? The dilemma of African migrants sandwiched between public attitudes and economic realities in Malta Authors: Omilusi, Mike Abstract: This current study establishes how host-state economic realities (economic boom and labour shortages) and refugee security interact with the broader dynamics of irregular migration. It explores the circumstances in which migrant communities experience stereotypes, public attitudes, and racial discrimination in the context of contemporary Maltese immigration. Drawing on focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, informal conversations, sample survey and extant migration literature, the study interrogates the resilience of African refugees and asylum seekers and the political will of the Maltese authorities to protect them. It offers policy recommendations to foster social cohesion, human dignity, and equal concern which are necessary for achieving effective migrant integration.

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z Omilusi, Mike https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142553 2026-01-07T14:49:18Z 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Irregular migration as an inevitable way of life? participant-observation from Europe Authors: Omilusi, Mike Abstract: In the last decades, unabated cross-Mediterranean refugee flows from Africa have geometrically expanded, despite the closure of borders and the introduction of new regulations. The number of Africans waiting in Libyan slave camps, with determination to cross the Mediterranean Sea, understandably demonstrates the depressing reality in their home countries. The state of affairs in homeland countries that compels people to expose themselves to precarious migration journeys deserves academic interrogation. This article briefly explores the contextual conditions that inspire this form of migration, mainly from Africa to Europe and draws on sociological literature about irregular migration. This article also includes accounts from formal and informal interactions with African migrants. It concludes that scrambling for greener pastures in Europe could be drastically reduced if anti-poverty policies are established in Africa.

2022-01-01T00:00:00Z Omilusi, Mike https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142552 2026-01-07T14:31:22Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Exploring refugees’ survival and coping mechanisms within the framework of migrant integration and Malta’s immigration policy Authors: Omilusi, Mike Abstract: Refugees in Malta face a variety of challenges, particularly in terms of social and economic integration, including discrimination, language barriers, and difficulties in finding employment. In addition to relying on their own resilience and determination to overcome adversity and succeed in their new community, refugees have devised a variety of practices to deal with these issues. The central question of this study is: How are refugees’ living conditions protected by Malta’s immigration and integration policy? In light of this, the study explores the opportunities, experiences, and challenges encountered by refugees, as well as the commonly adopted coping mechanisms. Employing a mix of sample surveys, focus groups, informal conversations, key informant interviews, and everyday lived experiences, the study reveals how refugees and asylum seekers navigate the complex legal system to obtain the necessary documentation. It also shows how they can improve their chances of survival and integration with a combination of support from local communities, nongovernmental organisations, and the government. It contributes to a better understanding of how rights, opportunities, and protection for refugees and asylum seekers across all spheres of life can engender social cohesion in a multicultural society.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z