Published December 31, 2016 | Version v1
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Paradoxes of formal social control. Criminological aspects of foreigners' access to the polish territory and the labour market

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The aim of the paper is to present selected results of the analysis of the impact of migration policies in the context of development of such criminal phenomena as organising irregular migration or document fraud linked to it. One of the elements of the analysis was the identification of mechanisms of formal social control in reference to the example of functioning of a simplified system aimed at controlling foreigners’ access to the labour market in Poland. In practice, the system has brought also consequences in the form of breaches of penal law. Paradoxically, in the Polish case not more restrictions, but simplifications in the area of foreigners’ access to the labour market have determined in recent years the landscape of irregular migration. Due to the characterof the recognised (administrative or penal) law infringements, the phenomenon may be rather called semi-legal or half-legal migration, since its specificity is the apparent compliance with the laws on entry, stay or work of foreigners, and the simplified procedure of admitting foreigners to the labour market can be helpful in this respect. However, more in-depth reflection allows for identification of law infringements within these actions, which may stem from ambiguous or incomplete legal norms. The differences in perceptions of the abuses of the simplified system of employing foreigners and in responses to them identified in the qualitative study lead to the conclusion that formal social control sometimes contributes to the development of negative phenomena, although the expected result of it is preventing them.

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wybranych wniosków z analizy skutków polityki migracyjnej w kontekście rozwoju takich zjawisk przestępczych jak organizowanie nielegalnej migracji oraz związane z tym fałszowanie i wyłudzanie dokumentów. Jednym z elementów analizy była identyfikacja mechanizmów formalnej kontroli społecznej na przykładzie funkcjonowania uproszczonej procedury dopuszczania cudzoziemców do rynku pracy w Polsce. System ten w praktyce przyniósł też skutki w postaci naruszeń prawa karnego. Paradoksalnie, w polskich warunkach to nie większe restrykcje, ale ułatwienia w zakresie dostępu cudzoziemców do rynku pracy determinowały w ostatnich latach obraz nielegalnej migracji. Z uwagi na charakter obserwowanych naruszeń prawa (administracyjnego i karnego) zjawiska te można nazywać raczej quasi-nielegalną czy półlegalną migracją, gdyż jej cechą charakterystyczną jest pozorne przestrzeganie zasad wjazdu, pobytu czy pracy cudzoziemców, czemu służyć może właśnie uproszczony system dostępu cudzoziemców do rynku pracy. Pogłębiona refleksja pozwala jednak na identyfikację naruszeń prawa w ramach tych działań, czemu sprzyjają niejednoznaczne czy niekompletne normy prawne. Zidentyfikowane w badaniu jakościowym różnice w postrzeganiu nadużyć uproszczonego systemu zatrudniania cudzoziemców i w reagowaniu na nie prowadzą do wniosku, że formalna kontrola społeczna przyczynia się czasem do rozwoju negatywnych zjawisk, mimo że jej spodziewanym rezultatem jest zapobieganie im.

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References

  • The text is based on a paper titled 'Paradoxes of implementing policies aimed at preventing irregular migration and granting access to the labour market in Poland – criminal implications' presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology in Muenster on September 23rd, 2016.
  • See. H.S. Becker, Outsiders. Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. The Free Press, New York 1963, pp. 11 et seq.
  • See B. Bowling, Epilogue: The borders of punishment: Towards a criminology of mobility [in:] K.F. Aas, M. Bosworth (eds.), Borders of punishment: Migration, citizenship, and social exclusion, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013, pp. 291-306.
  • The project "SIC – Modułowy wielozadaniowy System Identyfikacji Cudzoziemców wraz z modułem analizy ryzyka ofiar przestępstwa handlu ludźmi" ['SIC – Module Multi-task System of Identification of Foreigners with a Module on risk analysis of victims of trafficking'] conducted between 2014 and 2016 by the Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences with the Law Faculty of University in Białystok and Medcore company, financed by National Centre of Research and Development.
  • The interviews have been conducted in several projects. For some of the results, see for example, R. Stefańska, M. Szulecka, "Bezpieczny status prawny jako determinanta awansu ekonomiczno-zawodowego odmiennych grup imigrantów w Polsce" ['Secure legal status as a determinant of the economic and professional advancement'], Central and Eastern European Migration Review 2013, Vol. 2 (1), pp. 91–115; M. Kindler, A. Kordasiewicz, M. Szulecka, Care needs and migration for domestic work: Ukraine-Poland, International Labour Organisation, Geneva 2016.
  • The data has been gathered and analysed within the project titled 'Criminal context of the functioning of simplified procedure of foreigners' employment in Poland' conducted in 2016 in the Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, financed by the Ministry of Science.
  • See, for instance, F. Duvell, 'Paths into irregularity: The legal and political construction of irregular migration' [in:] European Journal of Migration and Law 2011, Vol. 13 (3), pp. 275-295; M. Czaika, M. Hobolth, 'Do restrictive asylum and visa policies increase irregular migration into Europe?' [in:] European Union Politics 2016, Vol. 17 (3), pp. 345–365.
  • See for instance Europol-INTERPOL Report on Migrant Smuggling Networks, 2015; https://www.europol.europa.eu/category/press-release-category/reports [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • The procedure is based on the regulation included in the Ordinance of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 21 April 2015 on the cases when entrusting the work to a foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Poland is permittable without an obligation to obtain a work permit, Journal of Laws of 2015, item588 [Rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 21 kwietnia 2015 r. w sprawie przypadków, w których powierzenie wykonywania pracy cudzoziemcowi na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej jest dopuszczalne bez konieczności uzyskania zezwolenia na pracę, Dz. U. z 2015 r. poz. 588]. This regulation is the amended regulation introduced for the first time in 2006 by the Ordinance of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 30 August 2006 on performing work by foreigners without an obligation to obtain a work permit, Journal of Laws of 2006, No 156, item 1116 [Rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 30 sierpnia 2006 r. w sprawie wykonywania pracy przez cudzoziemców bez konieczności uzyskania zezwolenia na pracę, Dz. U. 2006 nr 156 poz. 1116].
  • See, for instance, D. Melossi, Crime, punishment and migration. Sage, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC 2015, p. 5 et seq.; B. Bowling, op. cit.; B. Bowling, J. Sheptycki, Global Policing, Mobility and Social Control [in:] S. Pickering, J Ham (eds.), The Routledge Handbook on Crime and International Migration. Routledge, Abington, New York 2015, pp. 57-74.
  • Available at: https://www.mpips.gov.pl/analizy-i-raporty/cudzoziemcy-pracujacy-w-polsce-statystyki/ [accessed on 5 November 2016].
  • See for instance the justification of a proposal for termination of the simplified procedure and replacing it with an administrative procedure of issuing short-term work permits, prepared by the Polish Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy in April 2016: https://legislacja.rcl.gov.pl/docs//2/12284850/12350335/12350336/dokument251270.pdf [accessed on 5 November 2016].
  • See more in M. Szulecka, "Przejawy nielegalnej migracji w Polsce" ['Manifestations of irregular migration in Poland'], Archiwum Kryminologii 2016, Vol. 38.
  • According to the statistics of the Office for Foreigners, in 2003 approx. 53 thousand foreigners had valid residence cards in Poland, whereas in 2014 there were approx. 175 thousand holders of valid residence cards. In 2015 this number amounted to approx. 212 thousand and further increase has been observed in 2016. These numbers indicate only foreigners with valid residence cards, which means that they usually stay in Poland more than three months. To estimate the stock of foreigners at particular moments, the number of visas should be added. Yearly about 1.5 million of visas are issued by Polish consulates. See more in the statistics published by the Office for Foreigners, available at: http://udsc.gov.pl/statystyki [accessed on 5 November 2016].
  • Polityka migracyjna Polski: Stan obecny i postulowane działania [Poland's migration policy: Current state of affairs and recommended actions], Ministry of Interior, 2012; http://bip.msw.gov.pl/bip/polityka-migracyjna-po/19529,Polityka-migracyjna-Polski.html. [accessed on 27 December 2016].
  • See the interview with the Secretary of State from the Ministry of Interior and Administration, responsible for migration policy in terms of border control and issuing residence permits: "<<Pragmatycznie, a nie ideologicznie>> – o polityce migracyjnej Polski" ['<<Pragmatically and not ideologically>> – about Polish migration policy", Biuletyn Migracyjny No 55/2016, pp. 2-4, http://www.biuletynmigracyjny.uw.edu.pl/pliki/pdf/biuletynmigracyjny55_0.pdf [accessed on 27 December 2016].
  • See more in R. Stefańska, M. Szulecka, "Rozwój polityki migracyjnej Polski: otwarcie granic – regulowanie imigracji – kontrolowane otwarcie" [The development of the Polish migration policy – opening of borders – regulation of immigration – controlled openness], Biuletyn Migracyjny No 50/2014, pp. 4-5; http://biuletynmigracyjny.uw.edu.pl/pliki/pdf/biuletynmigracyjny50_0.pdf [accessed on 27 December 2016)]; for the information on development of the Polish migration policy see also S. Łodzińki, M. Szonert, "<<Niepolityczna polityka>>? Kształtowanie się polityki migracyjnej w Polsce w latach 1989-2016 (kwiecień)" ['<<Non-political politics?>> The formation of migration policy in Poland between 1989-2016 April]', CMR Working Papers no 90/148, Warsaw 2016;
  • See more on the patterns of mobility of Ukrainian citizens to Poland in: Z. Brunarska, M. Kindler, M. Szulecka, S. Toruńczyk-Ruiz, Ukrainian Migration to Poland: A "Local" Mobility?, [in:] M. Kindler, O. Fedyuk (eds.), Ukrainian Migration to the European Union. Lessons from Migration Studies, Springer International Publishing 2016, pp. 115-132.
  • Data comes from Border Guard statistics for the first half of 2016; https://www.strazgraniczna.pl/pl/granica/statystyki-sg/2206,Statystyki-SG.html [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • See more in M. Szulecka, op.cit.
  • Available at: https://www.strazgraniczna.pl/pl/granica/statystyki-sg/2206,Statystyki-SG.html [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • Data comes from Border Guard statistics for the first half of 2016; https://www.strazgraniczna.pl/pl/granica/statystyki-sg/2206,Statystyki-SG.html [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • See more in M. Szulecka, op. cit.
  • Data comes from Border Guard statistics for the first half of 2016; https://www.strazgraniczna.pl/pl/granica/statystyki-sg/2206,Statystyki-SG.html [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • As it stems from the analysis, the cases of using the simplified procedure for purposes contrary to the intended ones in legal proceedings in case of migrants were usually qualified according to the article 264(2) of the Penal Code (The act of 6 June 1997 – the Penal Code, Journal of Laws of 1997, No 88, item 533 with further amendments [Ustawa z dnia 6 czerwca 1997 r. – Kodeks karny, Dz. U. 1997 nr 88 poz. 533 z późn. zm.]), which refers to crossing the border by resort to violence, threat, deceit or in cooperation with third parties, and to article 272, referring to obtaining the attestation of an untruth under false pretences, as well as article 273 linked to using such attestation. In case of the informal intermediaries or pseudo-employers, the legal classification referred to 264a(1) – enabling, facilitating a stay in Poland, and benefitting from these activities, or to article 264(3) – organising the crossing of the border of the Republic of Poland against the law for other persons, as well as article 270(1) (counterfeiting or altering documents).
  • See more in: A. Górny, I. Grabowska-Lusińska, M. Lesińska, M. Okólski (eds.), Transformacja nieoczywista. Polska jako kraj imigracji [Unobvious transformation. Poland as a country of immigration]. Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2010, pp. 272–275; A. Kicinger, W. Kloc-Nowak, 'Combating the Illegal Employment of Foreigners in the Enlarged EU: The Case of Poland', CEFMR Working Papers 2008, No. 1.
  • The Border Guard is one of the agencies responsible for controlling the legality of work performed by foreigners. Also the State Labour Inspectorate is responsible for this control.
  • Data comes from Border Guard statistics for the first half of 2016; https://www.strazgraniczna.pl/pl/granica/statystyki-sg/2206,Statystyki-SG.html [accessed on 20 October 2016].
  • See the guidelines for the local labour offices regarding the recommended practices with regard to registration of the declarations of intention to hire a foreigner of 2015; www.pup.czestochowa.pl/download/1241.pdf [accessed on 22 December 2016].
  • This has not been implemented till the end of 2016. According to the proposals of amendments, the simplified system may be replaced by a system of work permits for short term work and for seasonal work. The latter permit is directly linked to the implementation of the EU directive on seasonal work of foreigners.