The Spanish deportation regime: unpacking hierarchies of (non)citizenship through the lens of deportabilization

Abstract

[Abstract] This paper examines Spain’s deportation regime, offering a framework to understand how deportability is unevenly applied across migrant populations. Building on De Genova’s notion of deportability and integrating dynamics of criminalization, I propose the concept of deportabilization to distinguish between primary deportabilization—linked to legal status, asylum, or access to nationality—and secondary deportabilization, tied to enforcement practices. The analysis shows that varying degrees of deportability are shaped not only by law and institutional practices, but also by colonial legacies and geopolitical dynamics. Findings reveal that Latin American and European nationals tend to benefit from protections that reduce deportability, while Sub-Saharan and North African migrants face heightened exclusion and control. The paper concludes by proposing three analytical categories of deportability reflecting migrants’ unequal position within Spain’s deportation apparatus and the stratified hierarchies of (non)citizenship: “suitable deportees”, “potentially included” and “undeportable others”.