Security at the Border? The Lived Experiences of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK

TL;DR

This paper explores the lived experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, highlighting how border control and immigration systems impact their sense of security, belonging, and well-being, through qualitative research methods.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the emotional and social effects of border procedures on refugees, emphasizing the need for participatory design approaches in security technologies.

Findings

Border encounters influence long-term feelings of belonging.

Participants experience insecurity, anxiety, and uncertainty.

Highlights the importance of human-centered design in immigration systems.

Abstract

We bring to light how some asylum seekers and refugees arriving in the UK experience border control and wider immigration systems, as well as the impact that these have on their subsequent lives in the UK. We do so through participant observation in a support organisation and interviews with caseworkers, asylum seekers and refugees. Specifically, our findings show how the first meeting with the border, combined with a 'hostile' immigration system, has a longer-term impact on their sense of belonging. Our observations highlight feelings of insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty that accompanied participants' experiences with immigration systems and processes. We contribute to the growing body of HCI scholarship on the tensions between immigration and (security) technology. In so doing, we point to future directions for participatory and collaborative design practices that centre on the lived experiences and everyday security of asylum seekers and refugees.