The Radicalization Of Indonesian Migrant Workers And Security Governance Challenges

Machya Astuti Dewi (Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta)
Melaty Anggraini (Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta)
Yuseptia Angretnowati (Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta)
Herlina Jayadianti (Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta)

Advanced Qualitative Research (AQR)
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): Advanced Qualitative Research

This study investigates how international migration affects terrorism in Indonesia by analyzing migration patterns that support terrorist operations and government responses to security needs and economic and humanitarian obligations. The research employs qualitative case study methods which combine document analysis with official and radicalized migrant worker interviews and secondary data evaluation to study the migration-terrorism connection. The research shows that terrorist groups use migration system weaknesses instead of migration being a dangerous process in itself. The Hong Kong-based Indonesian migrant workforce became vulnerable to online social media recruitment which led to the radicalization of female workers who received ISIS ideology. The workers used their financial resources and logistical expertise to assist terrorist organizations through remittance services and encrypted communication networks. The research discovers three essential problems which stem from terrorist groups using Southeast Asian migration routes with insufficient border control and screening systems and from institutional coordination breakdowns between BNPT, BP2MI and Densus 88 due to funding shortages and inadequate training and inconsistent policy execution. The security needs of the country faced opposition from the economic advantages of migration which generated USD 15.7 billion in remittances during 2024. The 2018 Anti-Terrorism Law and 2024 Immigration Law amendments failed to achieve their goals because of technological constraints and insufficient funding and the lack of proactive security measures and inadequate tracking systems for departing individuals. The research suggests risk-based governance as a new framework which focuses on specific security measures at critical entry points and uses intelligence-driven strategies and separate policies for different migration groups. The proposed method delivers superior security results through targeted interventions which maintain the economic and humanitarian advantages of migration beyond general security measures.