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676 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. 6 (2018)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0676 and id is 1 raw text is: Crimes of Solidarity in Mobility: Alternative Views on Migrant Smuggling By SHELDON X. ZHANG, GABRIELLA E. SANCHEZ, and LUIGI ACHILLI In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on migrant smuggling, seeking to create a more nuanced understanding of the topic that supersedes perspectives that are often found in mainstream narratives of unscrupulous and ruthless crim- inal gangs preying on vulnerable and desperate migrants. The contributing authors rely on field data to reveal the complex and often symbiotic relationships between migrants and the people behind their journeys. Often misunderstood in juxtaposition to narratives of security and control, the lived experiences of migrants describe smuggling facilitators as relatives or close friends, acquaint- ances or distant operators-all members of a social net- work of varying relational proximity. Vulnerability in migration grows as the travel distance and transit points increase and the density of one's own community ties decreases. The procurement of smuggling services is always situated within the collective wisdom and lived experiences of the migrants and their communities, and the strategies to increase the odds of success and to reduce the hazards and uncertainty of traversing foreign terrains. Keywords: migrant smuggling; irregular migration; organized crime; evidence-based policy Illegal immigration generated much hyper- bole in the most recent presidential election in the United States and remains a hot topic in public discourse, often tied to vital national interests such as security and employment. In the United States, the conversation on illegal Sheldon X. Zhang is a professor at and chair of the School of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His recent research primarily revolves around transnational organized crime and human trafficking issues. Gabriella E. Sanez_ is a senior research fellow at the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute. A socioulitural anthropologist, her focus has been on the social organization of migrant smuggling groups. She has conducted fieldwork on the U.S.- Mexico border, North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. Correspondence: sheldon_zhang@uml.edu DOI: 10.1177/0002716217746908 ANNALS, AAPSS, 676, March 2018 6