Redefining Reception at the Border: The role of non-state actors in welcoming People on the Move in Melilla.

Reception is significantly under theorized by migration scholarship, typically assuming that front-line reception is solely a state led process. In a different light, the recent literature on local governance has increasingly recognised the role of non-state actors in collaborating with state bodies to welcome people on the move. This study further challenges this sphere of governance and expands it to mirror new welcoming strategies at the border, co-created by independent non-state actors. In Melilla, a bottom-up model of reception is emerging due to a strong social fabric of grassroot initiatives. Here, reception is characterized by a spirit of "welcomeness' ' from the locality toward unaccompanied migrant children and asylum seekers. Welcoming acts are carried out through apolitical action, public policy contestation, and community building. These strategies form part of an early and ongoing collective effort that helps PoM establish a sense of belonging. This perspective on reception pushes for more inclusive forms of horizontal governance, and is vital to understand the strict link between early welcomeness and future integration.