New Publication! | Digital twins in border control and migration policies. Balancing security and human rights for sustainable governance

Abstract
The Digital twins (Dt) are a transformative technology supporting digital transformation and decision-making across various sectors. A Dt can be defined as «a virtual representation of a physical system (and its associated environment and processes) that’s updated through the exchange of information between the physical and virtual systems». These continuous interactions allow for monitoring, control, and optimization of processes, enabling predictive maintenance and innovative configurations. This article examines the role of Dt technology in the Eu’s migration and border control policies, analysing how Dt contribute to a securitization framework that prioritizes security over humanitarian considerations. Using an Actor-network theory (Ant) approach, the paper explores how human and non-human actors – including algorithms, data infrastructures, and institutional policies – interact to shape migration governance. This work challenges the wide-spread «data-realism» in border control and migration management, namely «the belief that data held about migrants and travellers objectively represent their identities». We argue that Dt are not a neutral and objective means to enhance the efficiency of administrative action, but rather the way in which Dt are built, the goals and purpose for which they are established, and the data that are selected to represent the reality embed specific value choices and political rationalities in their architectures. The analysis points out that, in line with current practices, the development of Dt may result in further securitization of the migration issue, criminalization of migrants, and a scaling up of systematic power abuses, human rights violations, and rule of law infringements. Finally, the paper will discuss how Dt technology can be designed using a non-securitarian approach to improve the efficiency of immigration reception processes. This approach aims to shift away from an emergency logic, thereby preventing the eruption of social tensions. We will illustrate concrete examples on how to achieve this goal, employing predictive analytics and virtual simulations to optimize resource allocation, estimate migrants’ needs, and identify the most likely patterns and sites for successful integration.