European policies that regulate migration from the global South to the European Union are founded on a mentality of restriction. Police operations at continental borders and spaces of transit, as well as Development Cooperation with African countries, are the most common instruments to stem irregular „migration flows", which are often perceived as a threat by „Western" destination societies. Irregular south-north migration - and in the case of this article, clandestine boat migration from Senegal to the Canary Islands - is not simply the outcome of desperation and a lack of development, rather, it is a societal counterpart to global structure policies. The social and cultural setting of migrants, their behaviour and local structures all indicate that this migratory movement is, in fact, a personal project and has to be located within the context of transnational processes, including policies, social mobility, resources and aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]