FLEX Policy Director, Caroline Robinson, delivered a statement on the impact of immigration control measures on vulnerability to exploitation at the Global Compact on Migration debate earlier this month. The United Nations process is convened by Switzerland and Mexico and the Vienna meeting focussed on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants.

In the statement FLEX highlighted findings of our recent research on Brexit and labour exploitation that showed the impact of confusion about migrant status and uncertainty about labour rights on both labour abuses and labour exploitation. Robinson outlined how traffickers often coerce people into exploitation by sharing tales of terror at the hands of immigration enforcement. She called for the Global Compact to commit to reviewing the role played by Governments in creating the vulnerability to exploitation through immigration control measures.