16 October 2025
The Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law is pleased to announce that Isabella Leroy has successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Where law meets space: The regulation of refugee camps in Europe” at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
In her dissertation, Isabella examines how refugee camps in Europe are regulated from a legal perspective, exploring whether and to what extent they represent spaces of exception. Using an empirical legal approach, she analyses the legislation, policy frameworks, and case law governing three European refugee camps, providing insights into how exceptional legal measures are shaped, justified, and evolve across time and legal fields.
The defence took place on 9 October 2025 in the Auditorium of the VU’s Main Building and was followed by an engaging discussion.
The Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law congratulates Dr. Leroy on this significant academic achievement.