The (Non-)Place of Migration in the European Pillar of Social Rights: Representations of Migrant People in Portugal

Migration is today a structuring reality of contemporary societies and policies, yet it continues to be frequently overlooked in the main social policy guidance instruments of the European Union. This study critically analyzes how the European Pillar of S ocial Rights engages with migration, using the Pillar itself as an analytical framework. Although the principles of the Pillar are implicitly connected to the migratory experience, migration largely remains absent as a political and social category. Based on 73 semi-structured interviews conducted in Porto, Portugal, this study seeks to address this gap by examining migrants' perspectives on the principles of the Pillar and on recent changes in national migration policies, which have become progressively le ss inclusive. The findings show that the persistent framing of migration as a crisis reinforces both material and symbolic borders, which migrants recognize, contest, and, at times, internalize. This study thus aims to contribute to a critical reflection o n social justice within the European context.