The Legal and Policy Infrastructures of Irregularity: Italy

Based on an analysis of European and national legislation, relevant case law, political documents, scholarly literature, and data collected through eight in-depth interviews with key experts and a meeting with relevant national stakeholders, this report explores, from a gender and intersectional perspective, how irregularity is produced and shaped in practice at the intersection of migration, employment, and welfare regimes. It pays special attention to the dynamics of irregularity and exploitation in core sectors such as domestic work and agriculture. The report highlights how, over the last two decades, by fostering narratives on a ‘migrant invasion’ threating the country, various Italian governments have adopted increasingly stringent migration and asylum policies. These policies have contributed to the ‘production of irregularity’ by narrowing the goalposts of regular channels and protection, and pushing individuals who are regular residents into an even more precarious status