No Pass Laws Here! Internal Border Controls and the Global 'Hostile Environment'

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• History
• Political Science

Background:

• Internal border controls in 1980s Britain impacted migrant and racialized populations.
• The
• No Pass Laws Here!
• Group actively resisted these policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the conceptualization and resistance of internal border controls in 1980s Britain.
• To analyze how these controls created differentiated access to employment and the welfare state.
• To explore the continuities between colonial-era policies and contemporary domestic controls.

Main Methods:

• Archival research at the Hull History Centre and the Institute of Race Relations.
• Analysis of public-facing information leaflets and bulletins from the
• No Pass Laws Here!
• Group.

Main Results:

• Internal border controls systematically targeted migrant and racialized residents and citizens.
• The
• No Pass Laws Here!
• Group effectively used the "pass laws" frame to critique these controls.
• The study reveals parallels between colonial governance and domestic policy.

Conclusions:

• Internal border controls in 1980s Britain perpetuated discriminatory practices.
• The resistance framing by the
• No Pass Laws Here!
• Group highlights the enduring impact of colonial legacies.
• Understanding these historical controls offers insights into contemporary social and political issues.