Clandestine Migration by Sea

The irregular movement of people across maritime borders outside lawful entry channels, including smuggling by sea and unauthorized crossings on small craft. It is addressed by the 2000 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, whose Part II (Articles 7 to 9) governs interdiction at sea. It is legally distinct from refugee flows and from trafficking in persons, though a single voyage can involve all three.