Sanctuary assemblages and power relations: the example of the Sea to the City campaign

Works on the local turn of integration policies and migration related city networks have shed light on the various forms of collaborations (or absence thereof) between municipalities and civil society organisations. This paper draws on the analysis of “From the Sea to the City” campaign. This campaign was initiated in 2021 by Mediterranean welcoming cities, Search and Rescue organisations and the German NGO Seebrücke, in the wake of the publication of the Palermo Charter on the right to migrate. It forms a coalition of cities, Search and Rescue organisations, European institutions and civil society organisations. Our aim is to investigate the forms and agendas guiding such upscaling. Who are the actors composing such configurations? What are their respective incentives and their impacts on current policy debates on migration and sanctuary? We will see how the differing objectives of these actors and their unbalanced financial and political capacities has informed the overall agenda of the campaign and its evolution over time.