I hope I brought out the frozen beef for lunch. “Ma’am … “ I can’t imagine the extra hours I would have to put into our dinner had I not. “Sorry, excuse me ma’am…” Wait, what about the frozen vegetables? I worry, gently rubbing my fingertips against my forehead, smoothing the lines that are starting to form. Voices begin to resound around me, but I can't seem to find where it's coming from. With my hands over my ears, the sounds become muffled. But it’s not enough. I need i

Or: A Letter of Thanks to the Maastricht Diplomat Part 1: 16th September, 2023 On the 29th of August, 2023, 14:30, in the Franz Palmzaal of the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, Dr. Sascha Hardt briefly mentioned a list of books that first-year students of the LLB in European Law had to acquire for the first period of their studies. A very prepared student asked Dr. Hardt to reiterate the titles, and she took note of them. Many of us took a picture of th

“They made us burn everything we had… documents, clothes, even family photos.” South African recruit on arrival in Russia The recruit had left South Africa months earlier after responding to what he assumed was a legitimate security training offer in Russia. Instead, he was forced into a paramilitary unit and sent to the front lines in Ukraine. He was not alone. Dozens of South Africans, Zimbabweans, and Kenyans described the same manipulation tactics by the Russian milita

Across Europe, undocumented people are increasingly framed as a problem of control, with the discussion often turning into talk about borders and returns. Political discourse often suggests that if reception is reduced, access is restricted, or financial support is withdrawn, undocumented people will simply leave. However, the reality described by social workers in Dutch night shelters tells a different story. When the state withdraws, people do not simply disappear. They bec