Nativism and EU Border Externalization in Tunisia: Exporting Borders, Producing Impunity

Recently, the European Union (EU) has signed border externalization agreements with several North African countries to manage migration and curb people smuggling. Border externalization is presented as supporting safe migration management, but the experiences of those subjected to border violence and operations point to weak safeguards, blurred responsibility, limited oversight, and rising impunity. This paper uses critical policy analysis, informed by the theory of nativism, to examine how safe third country (STC) classification operationalize exclusion within the EU externalization regime. Drawing on policy documents, NGO reports, and media coverage, it shows how nativist politics shape restrictive migration governance. The paper argues that these arrangements expose migrants and asylum seekers to violence while shielding EU actors from accountability. It contends that STC designation provides an unreliable basis for treating Tunisia as a safe site of externalized border control and highlights the need for binding legal duties, independent monitoring, and enforceable accountability.