Human smuggling is a form of illegal trade in which the commodity is an assisted illegal entry into a country. While this is hardly a new phenomenon, evidence points to increased involvement of smugglers in facilitating these journeys. This has been linked to the hardening of entry policies in developed countries. Smuggling markets tend to possess low barriers to entry and remarkably similar organizational arrangements in all the main smuggling routes in the world: no monopolies and small, localized, and rudimentary hierarchies. There are clear separations between migrant smugglers and their protectors and between migrant smugglers and drug traffickers. The limited empirical evidence suggests that, rather than being involved in other unrelated criminal activities, smugglers often run small-scale legitimate businesses. There is very little evidence of direct involvement of traditional mafia-like organizations. Finally, smugglers, often in competition to attract migrants, have developed diverse strategies to foster transactions, including investing in their reputations, offering warranties, and bringing in third-party escrow services. Recent developments in information technology have facilitated use of social media and the internet.

中文翻译：

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人口走私：结构和机制

人口走私是非法贸易的一种形式，其中商品是协助非法进入一个国家的。尽管这几乎不是新现象，但有证据表明，走私者越来越多地参与便利这些旅程。这与发达国家加强准入政策有关。在世界上所有主要的走私路线中，走私市场的进入壁垒通常较低，组织安排也极为相似：没有垄断者，没有小规模的，本地化的，基本的等级制度。移民走私者与其保护者之间以及移民走私者与贩毒者之间存在明显的分隔。有限的经验证据表明，走私者通常不从事其他合法活动，而没有参与其他无关的犯罪活动。几乎没有证据表明传统的黑手党式组织直接参与其中。最后，走私者通常在竞争中吸引移民，他们制定了各种战略来促进交易，包括投资他们的声誉，提供担保以及引入第三方托管服务。信息技术的最新发展促进了社交媒体和互联网的使用。