Obstructing Rescue: The Ethics of State-Led Deterrence and Delegitimization of Humanitarian Action in the Mediterranean

Migration and asylum policies in Europe are increasingly characterized by state practices that restrict or delegitimize non-state humanitarian actors, especially in the Mediterranean context. Recent years have seen the criminalization of search-and-rescue (SAR) NGOs, the portrayal of rescuers as “sea taxis,” and the use of bureaucratic tactics to hinder their operations. These developments raise crucial ethical questions about the legitimacy of such gatekeeping. In this thesis I’d like to examine the ethical implications of such obstruction, focusing on practices of state-led deterrence and moral delegitimization in Italy, Spain, and Greece.