Performing bureaucratic distance: the case of Belgium’s return counsellors

• In Event: The Moral Worlds of Immigration Bureaucrats II

Abstract

Building upon previous findings that have highlighted the pragmatic, unemotional, and standardized nature of return decisions made by immigration officials in Belgium (Deschuyteneer & Breuls, 2024), this paper sheds light on the engaged, yet impersonal experiences faced by Belgian return counsellors (ICAM-coaches), who, while not decision-makers, must justify these administrative decisions towards migrants.
Drawing on ethnographic research, including observations, shadowing and in-depth interviews with return counsellors, this paper explores how they manage the tension between their bureaucratic mandate and the emotional realities faced by migrants. It emphasizes the critical role of ICAM-coaches in the enforcement of migration policies, focusing on the induction and regulation of emotions during interactions with migrants. ICAM-coaches not only navigate their own emotions but also actively shape migrants' emotional responses to align with institutional objectives.
This paper offers an understanding of how ICAM-coaches’ actions are shaped by both legal imperatives and the emotional labor required to uphold a bureaucratic distance, contributing to the broader discourse on emotional governance in migration control.

Author

• Laure Deschuyteneer, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Crime & Society)