Bram Frouws
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bramfrouws.bsky.social
Bram Frouws
@bramfrouws.bsky.social
Director of the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) www.mixedmigration.org / Views are my own.
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Some people said EU countries would be more willing to take in resettled refugees once the number of asylum seekers went down.
Surprise! It‘s not happening. euobserver.com/migration/ar...
Europe turns it back on refugees as resettlement quotas plunge
Eighteen EU member states, including Germany, have refused to commit to any resettlement quotas for primarily UN-recognised refugees, as the bloc collectively spurns those with legitimate claims to in...
euobserver.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
🧵 Venezuela after Maduro: what could change for mixed migration? Venezuela has generated one of the largest displacements globally  ~7.9 million Venezuelans living abroad.
Here are 3 plausible scenarios of what could happen next ⬇️ 1/5
Read full article: 
Venezuela after Maduro: mixed migration implications of a sudden regime rupture | Mixed Migration Centre
An analysis of post-Maduro Venezuela examining mixed migration dynamics, return scenarios, displacement risks, and regional spillover effects.
f.mtr.cool
January 8, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Venezuela after Maduro: what could change for mixed migration?  “Mobility outcomes will depend less on the removal of one individual & more on security, governance, economic signals, & public confidence.”
Latest by  @bramfrouws.bsky.social Roberto Forin & Simon Tomasi
Venezuela after Maduro: mixed migration implications of a sudden regime rupture | Mixed Migration Centre
An analysis of post-Maduro Venezuela examining mixed migration dynamics, return scenarios, displacement risks, and regional spillover effects.
f.mtr.cool
January 8, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Our latest podcast episode "The end of development aid?" looks at how major cuts to foreign aid are reshaping  migration governance.
This is the audio of the #MMR2025 essay 
 
The end of development aid?
Mixed Migration Review 2025 · Episode
f.mtr.cool
January 6, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Things are a little quieter.. It’s a good moment for some end-of-year reading! 
Dive into 𝘌𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 2025: a collection of essays by young & emerging writers from the Global South.
🔗 Read the full collection:
Emerging Perspectives | Mixed Migration Centre
Discover the emerging perspectives on mixed migration in this 2025 essay collection. Read unique insights from Global South authors on how geopolitical turmoil shapes displacement, policy, and human rights.
f.mtr.cool
December 29, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Per speedboot naar Europa: hoe strengere grensbewaking smokkel in de hand werkt
Per speedboot naar Europa: hoe strengere grensbewaking smokkel in de hand werkt
Europa zet in op strengere grensbewaking en dat maakt smokkelaars vindingrijk. Steeds vaker vervoeren ze migranten per speedboot en zijn daarmee de kustwacht te snel af.
www.trouw.nl
December 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
@theguardian.com coverage of a new @mixedmigration.org study we are particularly proud of: how migrant smuggling really works (mixedmigration.org/resource/how...) providing evidence to policy makers based on 80,000 surveys with migrants & 500 surveys with smugglers. Hard to ignore you’d expect!
December 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
“Practices labelled ‘extreme’ in 2019 are now so entrenched they'd scarcely be remarkable enough to feature in this year’s review.” 
@bramfrouws.bsky.social & Chris Horwood show how 'acceptable' migration policy shifted & what it means for people on the move.
https://f.mtr.cool/lkjogjvnne #MMR2025
When the extreme is normalised: shifting boundaries in 'acceptable' migration policy - Mixed Migration Centre
What once seemed unthinkable in migration policy has become increasingly accepted, reflecting a major shift in political and social norms. This “normalisation of the extreme” illustrates how ideas once outside the mainstream can enter the realm of political acceptability. An essay by Chris Horwood and Bram Frouws.
f.mtr.cool
December 2, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
How does smuggling really work? 
 Join our webinar as we discuss findings based on surveys with 80,000+  refugees & migrants, & 500 smugglers. We look at: drivers, violence, corruption, & whether migration policies break the smuggling "business model”. 
9 Dec, 2pm CET 
https://f.mtr.cool/rmfgyiapmi
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
📢 #𝗠𝗠𝗥𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼! Join us for a dynamic discussion about migration in the context of geopolitical turmoil during the launch event:
🗓️ Wednesday, 20 November
🕑 14:00–15:30 CET
💻 Online
Don’t miss this timely conversation. 👉 Join the dialogue: https://f.mtr.cool/ajmunzgqct
@DRC_ngo
November 13, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
"Instead of disrupting the business model, the current approach to smuggling is boosting [it] ... Tighter European controls made the demand for their services increase and their work more profitable".

@bramfrouws.bsky.social at @mixedmigration.org

www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...
Op-ed: Moving beyond tough talk on migration to real solutions
Politically driven quick fixes are crowding out policy. Europe must invest in a long-term migration architecture that works.
www.theparliamentmagazine.eu
October 16, 2025 at 12:35 PM
My latest Op-Ed for Parliament Magazine. Moving beyond tough talk on #migration to real solutions. 4 misconceptions explaining why politically driven 'innovative solutions' don't work & 5 things we need to do for a long-term migration approach that works www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...
Op-ed: Moving beyond tough talk on migration to real solutions
Politically driven quick fixes are crowding out policy. Europe must invest in a long-term migration architecture that works.
www.theparliamentmagazine.eu
October 13, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
“Will the new EU Entry/Exit System [EES] always be properly handled at external borders?”  @bramfrouws.bsky.social  notes key things to watch as EU rolls out biometric border system - especially for asylum seekers’ rights, intrview @aljazeera.com   @priyankashankar.bsky.social 
How will the EU’s new entry-exit border system work?
From October 12, the EU will roll out a new entry system for foreigners who need short-stay Schengen visas.
f.mtr.cool
October 10, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
This year's Mixed Migration Review #MMR2025 examines how migration dynamics are reshaping in response to a context of intensified geopolitical turmoil. Join us for the online launch on Nov 20, 14:00-15:30 CET.
💻➡️ Register on Zoom: https://f.mtr.cool/qhbvurkhfe
September 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM
A persistent myths in media, policy & political debates: #smugglers are luring migrants into irregular #migration journeys. Is that so? We asked 60,000 migrants. The simple answer is: NO. Coming soon: more evidence on how smuggling really works mixedmigration.org/smugglers-as...
Smugglers as influencers on the decision to migrate | Mixed Migration Centre
Evidence from 60,000 migrant surveys shows smugglers rarely influence migration decisions, challenging common media and policy narratives.
mixedmigration.org
September 19, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Listen to the full interview on the lack of human rights safeguards in #migration deals between #Mauritania and the EU.
🎧⬇️
BBC Audio | Focus on Africa | Mauritania accused of widespread abuses against migrants
Human Rights Watch allege EU deal fuelling Mauritania's abuse of African migrants
f.mtr.cool
August 29, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
“The priority is really stopping people from departing from the Mauritanian coast, and that priority takes precedence over making sure there is a strong monitoring of human rights violations” said @BramFrouws, Director of MMC, to @BBC Focus on Africa.
August 29, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Don't miss the launch of this year's Mixed Migration Review, Thursday 20th November. This year's theme: Migration in times of geopolitical turmoil. You can register here: mixedmigration.org/events/virtu...
August 29, 2025 at 7:40 AM
I spoke to the BBC’s Focus on Africa today about the new @hrw.org report on violence against refugees & migrants in #Mauritania, a country the EU closely cooperates with to contain #migration towards Europe. Listen here (from minute 08:40) www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...
BBC Audio | Focus on Africa | Mauritania accused of widespread abuses against migrants
Human Rights Watch allege EU deal fuelling Mauritania's abuse of African migrants
www.bbc.com
August 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Happy to have contributed to this great article by @eloisehardy96 in @Parlimag, on the current state of ‘Schengen’, discussing the risks of not sufficiently valuing #Schengen anymore, #migration diplomacy & more www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...
August 14, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
What have we learned about the experiences of Afghans taking perilous journeys to Pakistan & Türkiye? 📊 Key insights from 𝟮,𝟴𝟳𝟯 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟳 𝗶𝗻-𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 (Sept 2023 - Sept 2024): ⬇️
Protection and assistance for Afghans in mixed migration | Mixed Migration Centre
This paper examines the protection and assistance needs of Afghans in mixed migration, highlighting the risks, gender-specific vulnerabilities, and gaps in humanitarian support along routes to Pakistan and Türkiye
f.mtr.cool
July 30, 2025 at 11:03 AM
“Aid cuts are driving migrants to Europe”, warns UN refugee chief www.ft.com/content/976f... via @financialtimes.com Sad to see this “we need more aid otherwise migrants will come” threat narrative still being used. Here’s what we wrote about this last year www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2024...
https://thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2024/1…
July 30, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
🌍 How is migration being reshaped by intensified geopolitical turmoil?  In October, we’re launching the 2025 Mixed Migration Review — exploring how global upheaval is transforming mobility. 
🔔 Subscribe for launch updates: https://mixedmigration.org/mmr2025/
#MMR2025
MMR2025 | Mixed Migration Centre
The Mixed Migration Review 2025 will focus on how the current geopolitical turmoil and shifting world order is shaping migration.
mixedmigration.org
July 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Bram Frouws
Uptick in arrivals in Crete & the Balearics seem to result from EU’s short-term migration strategy: securitising routes & targeting smugglers via deals with third countries—without addressing migration drivers or the links between regular & irregular migration.
Are Crete and the Balearics Revealing Cracks in the EU Migration Deterrence? | Mixed Migration Centre
Read about the uptick in arrivals at the Greek island of Crete, predominantly from Libya, and the sudden popularity of the Balearic islands as an entry point to Spain.
bit.ly
July 21, 2025 at 5:03 PM