States increasingly prosecute irregular migrants – asylum-seekers included – for their (alleged) involvement in human smuggling during their own migration journey. Based on a literature review and interviews with lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and migrants on Sicily, this article provides insight into the nature and scale of this phenomenon in Italy and discusses the effects of criminal prosecution on these migrants’ asylum procedures. From 2015–2018, as a standard operating procedure, roughly 1,300 “captains” and navigators – scafisti (literally: smugglers by boat) – of small dinghies with migrants arriving in Italy have been arrested for suspicion of “aiding clandestine (or irregular) immigration”. Most scafisti are migrants themselves and there are strong indications that they were forced to steer or navigate the boat. These prosecuted migrants face many difficulties in proving duress and are often inadequately advised about the consequences of a criminal conviction on their subsequent immigration procedures. After a conviction, as well as after an acquittal, they are often excluded from official reception centres and have difficulties accessing asylum procedures. When they manage to apply for asylum, they will be denied international protection if they have been convicted. When they cannot be expelled, they may end up in a legal limbo, having to rely on a temporary humanitarian status with strict limitations.

中文翻译：

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寻求庇护者因走私被起诉：意大利 Scafisti 的案例研究

各国越来越多地起诉非正常移民——包括寻求庇护者——因为他们（据称）在自己的移民过程中参与了人口走私。基于对西西里岛的律师、检察官、法官和移民的文献回顾和采访，本文深入了解了这种现象在意大利的性质和规模，并讨论了刑事起诉对这些移民庇护程序的影响。从 2015 年到 2018 年，作为标准操作程序，大约有 1,300 名“船长”和领航员——scafisti（字面意思是：乘船走私者）——与移民抵达意大利的小艇因涉嫌“协助秘密（或非正规）移民”而被捕”。大多数 scafisti 本身就是移民，有强烈的迹象表明他们被迫驾驶或驾驶船只。这些被起诉的移民在证明受到胁迫方面面临许多困难，而且往往没有充分了解刑事定罪对其后续移民程序的后果。在被定罪和无罪释放后，他们经常被排除在官方接待中心之外，并且难以获得庇护程序。当他们设法申请庇护时，如果被定罪，他们将无法获得国际保护。当他们无法被驱逐时，他们可能会陷入法律困境，不得不依赖具有严格限制的临时人道主义身份。他们往往被排除在官方接待中心之外，并且难以获得庇护程序。当他们设法申请庇护时，如果被定罪，他们将无法获得国际保护。当他们无法被驱逐时，他们可能会陷入法律困境，不得不依赖具有严格限制的临时人道主义身份。他们往往被排除在官方接待中心之外，并且难以获得庇护程序。当他们设法申请庇护时，如果被定罪，他们将无法获得国际保护。当他们无法被驱逐时，他们可能会陷入法律困境，不得不依赖具有严格限制的临时人道主义身份。