The Crisis of Irregular Migration Across the Mediterranean: International Cooperation and the Responsibility to Address It

This article addresses the phenomenon of irregular migration from a legal, political, and security per-spective. This phenomenon has posed a serious threat to both source countries, transit countries, and receiving countries, which has had a significant impact on the policies of these nations. The dynamics of migration in the Southern Mediterranean region, which has shifted from being a transit area to a destina-tion for settlement, are linked to a range of political, legal, and security challenges. These include the rise of organized crime, international drug trafficking, and the risks of recruitment by terrorist groups. Con-sequently, irregular migration is no longer just a social issue but has become one with legal, political, and security implications due to the impacts and challenges it presents for states. These challenges primarily include crimes committed by irregular migrants. As a result, there has been a growing need for interna-tional cooperation through the enactment of laws aimed at combating the phenomenon of irregular mi-gration. This also involves taking appropriate measures and establishing mechanisms, such as bilateral and multilateral agreements between the concerned states, to address the root causes of migration.