Closer to the Truth: &lt;i&gt;DNA profiling for family reunification and
                        the rationales of immigration policy in Finland&lt;/i&gt;

Helén, llpo; Tapaninen, Anna-Maria

doi:10.2478/njmr-2013-0006

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The current restrictive turn has also changed the role of DNA analysis. Importantly, the introduction of DNA testing in Finland in the 1990s was justified by the problem of unaccompanied minors who were separated from their families (Helén and Tapaninen 2013;Tapaninen and Helén 2015). The availability of DNA testing was considered to be in the best interest of the child.…”

Section: The Making Of Immutable Mobilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the provisions for DNA testing were incorporated into the Finnish Aliens Act in 2000, it has largely become routine: the legislation has remained unaltered, the division of labour between the authorities is well established, and the practice of testing has mostly been uncontested (Helén and Tapaninen 2013;Tapaninen and Helén 2015). Compared to many other countries, the system of parental testing in Finland is legalistic and centralised (Heinemann, Naue and Tapaninen 2013; see also Taitz, Weekers, and Mosca 2002;EMN 2009;La Spina 2012;.…”

Section: The Making Of Immutable Mobilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These questions emerge from the realisation that in Finnish migration proceedings DNA evidence is neither a necessary nor a sufficient piece of evidence in itself (Helén and Tapaninen 2013;Tapaninen and Helén 2015;Halme-Tuomisaari, Tapaninen, and Aunela n.d.). The Aliens Act does not explicate the role of DNA analysis in decisionmaking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobile lives, immutable facts: family reunification of children in Finland

Tapaninen

Halme-Tuomisaari

Kankaanpää

2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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The right to family has been confirmed by myriad human rights covenants and it forms an acknowledged part of migration policies. Yet family reunification has become an increasingly contested issue, something reflected in a recent restrictive turn in migration policies throughout Europe. Policy reforms speak of a growing polarity between, on the one hand, adherence to the 'best interest of the child' and family life, and on the other, suspicion of fraud. This article examines these tensions via exploration of family reunification procedures in Finland, particularly applications sponsored by minors, thereby drawing attention to the notion of 'the anchor child'. Drawing on decisions by the Administrative Court of Helsinki as well as interviews with experts and the people concerned, the writers discuss how these polarities are managed in practice, centring their analysis on a quest for truth that deploys various methods, particularly DNA analysis and oral hearings. Ultimately the article highlights an intrinsic paradox in family reunification policies that incorporates the aspiration to produce facts amounting to 'immutable mobiles' (Latour, Bruno. 1986. 'Visualization and cognition: Thinking with the eyes and hands.' Knowledge and Society 6 (6): 1-40.) and the evident weight of contingent temporalities.

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Section: The Making Of Immutable Mobilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Making Of Immutable Mobilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobile lives, immutable facts: family reunification of children in Finland

Tapaninen

Halme-Tuomisaari

Kankaanpää

2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

Self Cite

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“…Data from Finland indicates a similar use of DNA on the basis of suspicion against Somalis as the proto‐type of the ‘lying native’ (Helén and Tapaninen ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

The Silent Backdrop: Colonial Anxiety at the Border

Carver¹

2019

J Historical Sociology

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Through the categorization of movers, states determine and fix the belonging of migrants and thereby reproduce the nation‐state system as a global reality. Some movers, however, are deemed illegible and must be identified, labelled and thus brought within the system. This paper unpicks the legal consequences of a “coloniality of power” (Quijano, 2000) embedded within the border system as a whole. The paper demonstrates this process through a post‐colonial examination of Somali migration and the application of the 1951 Refugee Convention at the UK border. The Somali migrant, like his colonized predecessor, is constructed as an unreliable informant of him/herself; a “lying native” (Bhabha, 1994) whose identity can be ‘discovered’ by the tools of the enlightened West.

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“…Based on the interviews, administrative bordering seemed to target African migrants in particular, whose applications were subjected to rigorous scrutiny. In a similar way, other studies have highlighted a culture of suspicion in the decision-making practices in family reunification processes (see Leinonen & Pellander 2014;Tapaninen & Helen 2013). Indeed, while many research participants did manage to get a residence permit on new grounds, at least two interviewed African nationals were deported, despite having applications pending.…”

Section: Negotiating the Residence Permit Systemmentioning

confidence: 66%

Border Struggles within the State: <i>Administrative bordering of non-citizens in Finland</i>

Könönen¹

2018

Nordic Journal of Migration Research

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Drawing on interviews with non-EU citizens, who arrived as asylum seekers or students in Finland, I examine different aspects of materialisation of borders within the state. This article focuses on non-citizens' negotiations with the immigration bureaucracy, in particular on administrative procedures in residence permit applications. The analysis of non-citizens' immigration trajectories and various border struggles during the conditional period before obtaining a permanent residence permit reveals the non-linear nature of immigration. The immigration process involves transitions in the legal status, which consequently affect non-citizens' position in the labour market, access to welfare services, and the terms of family reunification. The concept of administrative bordering introduced in this article highlights the significant role of the bureaucratic procedures in migration management. I argue that administrative bordering related to the inclusion and exclusion of non-citizens creates pervasive insecurity about one's presence and future as it can potentially modify individual immigration trajectories.

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Closer to the Truth: <i>DNA profiling for family reunification and the rationales of immigration policy in Finland</i>

Cited by 14 publications

References 19 publications

Mobile lives, immutable facts: family reunification of children in Finland

Mobile lives, immutable facts: family reunification of children in Finland

The Silent Backdrop: Colonial Anxiety at the Border

Border Struggles within the State: <i>Administrative bordering of non-citizens in Finland</i>

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