Inside the Pushback Apparatus in Tunisia: Countering Mobility, Extracting its Value and Manufacturing Infrastructures of Solidarity

Abstract Since 2023, Tunisia has implemented a new migration management policy marked by intensified security-led pushbacks of Black sub-Saharan migrants from coastal cities to its national borders, echoing similar practices in Algeria, Libya, and Morocco. Despite widespread national and international criticism, this approach has persisted and grown increasingly complex, with an expanding network of routes and increased frequency of forced movements. This policy operates within a broader regional and global migration regime (Mezzadra S, Neilson B in Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor, Duke University Press, 2013) aimed at containing so-called "undesirable" mobility by keeping migrants in constant motion, often culminating in their return through mechanisms like the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return program. While this regional framework discourages viewing Tunisia as an exceptional case, the country’s distinct post-revolutionary context and longstanding West African migration presence offer critical insights into how migrants navigate, resist, and adapt to evolving border control strategies.