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Through a critical analysis of discursive practices enacted by the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) and Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard) during the military-humanitarian operation Mare Nostrum, this chapter explores the contrasting, and at times mutually influencing, representations of migrants, both within the context of humanitarian aid and border control. By focusing on the ‘military-humanitarian border spectacle’ as a dispositif that is physically and symbolically enacted to legitimize the narrative of cosmopolitan solidarity it reflects on how the dynamics between humanitarian protection and border control are central in legitimizing EU policies.