There are several root causes to explain migration, such as war, famine, and poverty, often exacerbated by climate change consequences. Emigration can be considered a strategy to reduce risks inherent to the push factors that led to the choice or necessity to leave. However, emigrants withstand other risks, especially those pursuing irregular ways to enter another country. At the same time, immigration is a source of risk for the recipient countries, mainly when it takes the shape of high and uncontrolled influx of irregular migrants, as it happened in Europe in 2015. Drawing upon the risk governance literature, securitization and previous research conducted by the authors, this paper aims at mapping and discussing the relationship between irregular migration and risk. The novelty of the paper rests in the attempt to study at the same time the two sides of irregular migration, concerning those leaving and those receiving, with focus on the arrival of migrants from extra European countries into Europe since 2015. The paper shows that, in general, European countries miss an adequate risk oriented approach to irregular migration, while irregular migrants make, to some extent, informed decisions based on their risk perception and are willing to take secondary risks.