Counteracting Bordering Practices: Non-State Healthcare Provision for Migrants with Precarious Legal Status in Berlin

This paper explores how non-state actors in Berlin counteract exclusionary healthcare practices that are conceptualised as urban bordering practices of the European border regime. Focusing on neighbourhood-based organisations offering healthcare to migrants with precarious legal status, we examine how these actors navigate the tension between immediate service provision and the broader goal of systemic reform. Drawing on five semi-structured interviews and a qualitative content analysis, we focus on two guiding themes: the neoliberal shift of care responsibilities away from the state, and the ideological reimagining of healthcare as a holistic, inclusive practice. Our findings highlight how these organisations operate under significant financial and structural constraints while striving to remain politically critical and innovative. Despite limited funding and challenging working conditions, strategies such as building networks, reducing barriers in accessibility and maintaining anonymity are used to expand the reach and effectiveness of their services. However, this dual role – providing care and pushing for change – reveals contradictions that place pressure on organisations’ ideals and operational capacity. We conclude that while these non-state efforts offer inspiring models of inclusive healthcare, sustainable change will require political recognition, financial support, and structural reform at the state level.