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Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

Website:

picum.org/
Type:

European-based Immigration Advocacy Group
Location:

Brussels, Belgium
Director:

Michele LeVoy

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Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) is a European advocacy network consisting of advocacy groups across 32 countries that advocates for eliminating border security policies and providing welfare programs to illegal immigrants. 1 2 It also advocates in favor of the detention and deportation of illegal migrants while encouraging the integrating of migrants into local communities. 3

Background

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants is a European-based advocacy group that consists of over 160 member organizations across 32 countries. 1 PICUM engages in policy advocacy within the European Union on behalf of migrants who have unknown or illegal residency. 4

PICUM develops its policy advocacy using the identity politics concept of intersectionality as well as the critical race theory concept of anti-racism. 5

PICUM reports receiving funding from Adessium Foundation, AI and Society Fund, European Philanthropic Initiative for Migration, the European Commission, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Robert Bosch Stiftung. 5

Advocacy

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants opposes laws that criminalize migrants for violating immigration law, and it opposes deportation. It accuses the European Union’s immigration penal code of conflating violations of immigration laws with smuggling, trafficking, and sex work. 3 PICUM publishes reports that discuss European Union immigration policies and criticizes policies that implement security measures or restrict immigration due to economic and social concerns. 6

PICUM’s 2024 “Working Together to End Immigration Detention” report outlines several policy recommendations to eliminate detaining migrants and advocate for migrants, claiming that they should not be subject to detention due to how it affects detainees. The report argues that EU and international law allow for “alternatives” to detention and advises that “the least intrusive measures be used” in employing alternatives to detaining immigrants. It advocates for what it describes as “community-based” alternatives where migrants who would be detained are instead allowed to “live in the community” and be assigned a publicly funded case manager. It justifies these alternatives to detention by claiming they address alleged “socio-economic exclusion, discrimination, and human rights violations” issues that it associates with detention. 7

PICUM advocates on behalf of migrants by engaging in lobbying efforts with the European Union and Council of Europe and advocating for eliminating immigration restrictions as they are applied to children. It also advocates for welfare programs to be provided for minors regardless of if they have violated immigration law and that the programs continue to be provided after they turn 18, regardless of their immigration status. PICUM’s 2023 annual report that discusses it advocacy on providing illegal immigrants with welfare programs after the age of 18 does not specify when such benefits should end. 2

PICUM campaigns in opposition to using various forms of technology to engage in digital border surveillance and uses criticisms of the practice to justify its advocacy of eliminating border security measures. In its 2024 report “Beyond Walls and Fences,” PICUM outlines the use of digital surveillance to enforce border security, of which it is critical. The report goes on to discuss how border security measures, including digital surveillance, prevented search and rescue measures of migrants at borders, resulting in instances of deaths of migrants attempting to illegally cross borders of EU member nations. 8

Leadership

Michele LeVoy is the director of Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants She has held the position since the early 2000s. 5

References

  1. “Members.” PICUM, June 3, 2024. https://picum.org/members/.
  2. “PICUM Annual Report.” PICUM. May 2025. https://picum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PICUM-Annual-Report-2023.pdf
  3. “Criminalisation.” PICUM, May 13, 2024. https://picum.org/work-area/criminalisation/.
  4. “Our Work.” PICUM, October 15, 2024. https://picum.org/our-work/.
  5. “About Us.” PICUM, June 3, 2024. https://picum.org/about-us/.
  6.  How the New EU Facilitation Directive Furthers the Criminalisation of Migrants and Human Rights Defenders.” PICUM, June 2024. https://picum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/How-the-New-EU-Facilitation-Directive-Furthers-the-Criminalisation-of-Migrants-and-Human-Rights-Defenders_EN.pdf.
  7. “PICUM’s 2024 Working Together to End Immigration Detention.” PICUM. January 2024. https://picum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Working-together-to-end-immigration-detention_A-collection-of-noteworthy-practices.pdf
  8. “Beyond Walls and Fences.” PICUM. July 2024. https://picum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Beyond-walls-and-fences_EU-funding-used-for-a-complex-and-digitalised-border-surveillance-system_EN.pdf
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