Criminalisation of individual acts of solidarity and coordinated platforms of refugee support is undertaken both in the name of national and European laws, in opposition to the facilitation of irregular entries, and through arbitrary police measures. Citizens who help migrants to cross national borders are prosecuted in Italy under the same law that punishes smugglers who take money from migrants. In France, the 'humanitarian clause', which exempts from sanctions citizens who support migrants whose life, dignity and physical integrity is at risk, is often disregarded. Here, Tazzioli tackles this issue by exploring states' arbitrary measures that are taken in the name of migration containment, regardless of whether or not they are legally grounded or in violation of the law.