Discursive representations of ‘invisible migrants’ in British social media

Social media have opened up new sources of data with the potential to increase our understanding of public opinion on migrants. In this chapter, we examine the discursive representations, in online press and social media, of undocumented immigrants in the British context, between 2015 and 2018. This chapter is based on a study analysing online newspaper articles and corresponding comments published on Facebook using Critical Discourse Analysis. We show that neither online newspaper articles nor their commenters elaborate a nuanced picture of undocumented migration as a complex socioeconomic phenomenon. We identify a shift in media construction, from the undocumented migrant representing a ‘significant enemy’ – during the ‘migration crisis’ of 2015–16 – to becoming a ‘insignificant stranger’ in 2017–18. However, human trafficking never appeared to be explicitly associated with undocumented migration, despite the fact that two phenomena are interlinked. Undocumented migrant are ‘invisible’ individuals at high risk of exploitation, but their vulnerability, and the specific risks of becoming trafficked, were not sufficiently considered by the online British press and the commenters. We suggest that media should reassess their portrayal of undocumented migration and ensure that trafficked migrants are recognised, and assisted, as one of the most vulnerable groups among undocumented migrants.