A. Kil and Menjívar (2006) “War on the border”
Thesis Paraphrase: Kil and Menjívar (2006), in their article titled “War on the border,” first describe the history of immigrant criminalization and the current militarization of the USA-Mexico border and how this criminalization is a type of symbolic racism that brutalizes the public with state violence that encourages vigilantism. They then show through interviews with immigrants that this criminalization and border militarization affect immigrants even after they cross pushing them into “legal nonexistence” and conclude with policy recommendations.
1. Criminalizing Immigrants and Militarizing the Border
a. Provides a context for what happen along the border that gave rise to the vigilantes
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getting a foothold as well as the immigrants who experience this kind of militarized trauma even after they cross the border. b. Militarization has not worked because it does not keep people in, it actually keeps people in, raising the level of population of undocumented labors in the U.S. c.
Economics has also contributed to the militarization of the border and the criminalization of immigrants
(1) The U.S. creation of free-trade zone with Canada and Mexico through such accords as the GATT and NAFTA that greatly affected the border situation.
(a) This are representatives of neoliberal policies, which are primmest on the idea that we need to liberalize trade among the nations and that this liberalize trade will increase economic security by allowing the free flow of capitalist commodity among the nations with these trade agreements, but what these trade agreements effectively do is that they try to decouple capitalism labor.
(b) While they are trying to create more free flows of capital (i.e. money) they are also trying to create these free flows by taking the capital out of labor (i.e people). They are trying to let capitals flow more freely but people/labor less. (Which is an impossibility to decouple capitals and labor because labor produces capital)
d. We have these shifts in economic policies and we also have drug enforcement, immigration, national security, and customs concerns that create this hodgepodge-like agency alliances along the U.S-Mexico
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border. (1) In a sense that there is a lot of agencies that are participating in these border securities measures, not just economic policies but also criminalizing policies e. We had several administrations being concern about the border and adding to these militarization (1) It does not matter if you are republican or democrat because they both have contributed to border-militarization. In fact, the worst perpetrator has been a democrat than a republican. We tend to associate republicans more with fear of immigrants, where actually the democrats (Clinton in particularly) did the strictest policies. (a) One of the strictest policies that the INS (Immigration and Naturalization service) launched is an offensive border strategy called “prevention through deterrence”. This strategy was placed in El Paso, San Diego, Nogales, and Rio Grande Valley. They took these safer urban paths of crossings that immigrants use, and they militarize them by building walls, adding stadium lights, and increase the staff to push the migration path away from these safer urban areas to the desert terrain. (b) Even though they knew that people were going to die as a result of these strategies they did it anyway, however, it was an ineffective strategy because it didn’t stop people from crossing. (c) People started to hire coyotes to cross them over through the deserts (1) Ten years ago, it cost 1,500 per person but now it cost more ($15,00- 30,000) and there is no guarantee you will make it alive or get to cross the border (2) Smuggling people by the coyotes is a dangerous underground industry as a result of the U.S. border policies. Back then people did not need coyotes to cross the border. f. One of the unintended consequences of these policies is that we have more undocumented immigrants living in the country instead of having less than was expected as an effect of these policies (1) Immigrants are more likely to stay longer in the U.S because, if they leave, a return/reentry poses a far greater physical danger and monetary cost to them now than before the military buildup at the border g. Another consequence is that people are dying since they begin to militarize the border (1) The death toll keeps on hitting the maximum without any chances in the U.S border policies to de humanitarian crisis that is growing along the border regions. h. Because of 9/11 there is a new shift in looking at the border region as a place where terrorists can infiltrate/ penetrate the U.S. border. (which is ironic since the only known place that we know terrorist that can penetrate the U.S was the Canadian border near Seattle) 2. Symbolic Racism and Brutalization Theory a. Talks about the theory to help understand what is happening in vigilantes and what is happening with the people who cross the border and when they settle into Phoenix on how their life is expected by criminalization and border militarization b. The author uses two different sets of theories and combine them together to give a theoretical backdrop of this article (1) The author starts with an idea of symbolic racism, which means that racism is an obscure form of racism that naturalizes divisions between races without using overt racist language. (a) Which means that using a militarize paradigm along the border strategies is a form of symbolic racism by the governor. That militarizing the border of racial brutalization that encourages the public and policy makers to remain complacent on increasing violence and death and even to seek further militarization (2) Stuart Hall points out that racism today is mostly inferential (suggestive) in the naturalized representations of events and situations relating to race (3) Mark McPhail describes such representations, race and war are both made to seem natural manifestations of human civilization and their rhetoric appeals to the audience’s sense of territoriality, to the audience’s ethnocentricity which function to enhance the audience’s optimism, and which are relevant to war aims. (4) The idea of war, as an armed struggle between two antagonistic nations, grips the national imagination and stimulates racial anxiety within the immigration debate without the need ever to use and open racial slur. c. The authors borrow brutalization theory from death penalty research. (1) They have this idea that maybe the death penalty actually stimulating murders when it occurs instead of deterring murders. (a) The brutalization argument is an alternative identification process, different from the one implied by deterrence theory.
The potential murdered will not identify personally with the criminal who is executed, but will instead identify with someone who has greatly offended him.
(b) People mick and are encourage by the state that kills which is called villain identification
(c) In this process of villain identification, the potential murderer identifies with the state and punishes those he or she loathes as being offending.
(d) We think that everyone in the border region and public in general are being brutalize by the state militaristic stance along the border region. We think that the vigilantes are being directly impacted by the brutalization of the state so much that they are coping the state in how they treat undocumented immigrants. This is why we see so much that we so much vigilantes’ groups, where they see themselves as a helpful arm to the government.
(e) They use a lot of equipment, customs/uniforms, and technology that look and mimic the U.S. border patrol officials
d. Militarized border policies affect not only Mexicans who cross but also other brown peoples from the Americas, as well as entire groups who live in the U.S. Southwest who do not “look” white, regardless of their citizenship
status. e. The militarized border policy continues to affect immigrants who have successfully crossed the border. (1) Susan Coutin uses the term legal nonexistence to describe their situation of being physically present and socially active in civil society but lacking legal recognition. (2) Legally nonexistent persons can be seen as potentially subversive in that they are not bound by legal duty. (3) The legal existence is a state of subjugation that results in vulnerability (a) Undocumented immigrants are vulnerable to deportation, confined to low-wage jobs, and denied basic human rights, such as access to decent housing, education, and healthcare.
Officers would patrol the political boundary, known as line watches, between the two nations. These line watches were ineffective because of the size of their jurisdictions and the sheer size of the borderlands between Mexico and the United States. Soon it became clear to Border Patrol officers that most illegal migrant activity developed in the greater borderlands regions than along the boundary between Mexico and the United States. “Instead of enforcing the boundary between the US and Mexico, BP officers patrolled backcountry trails and conducted traffic stops on borderland roadways to capture unsanctioned Mexican immigrants as they travelled from the border to their final
Immigration and crime can often time combine due to the laws that are continuously created. The membership theory presented by Juliet Stumpf in chapter 2 of Governing Immigration Through Crime. Membership theory proposes that a person’s rights and privileges are only obtainable to those who are a part of a social contract with the government (Dowling & Inda, 2013, p. 60). It is believed that positive actions can occur when this takes place. Now, the membership theory uses two tools of the sovereign state for this to be achieved: the power to punish and the power to express moral condemnation (Dowling & Inda,2013, p. 60). When applying this belief to immigration law, legal and illegal have stringent explanations between them. As stated
The United States has no more important foreign relation ship than that of which it enjoys with Mexico, and vice versa. These two countries share interwoven societies and economies. Although there have been disagreements and turbulence between the two countries, which partnership is without these? The Strength of each country’s democracy is fundamental to the other’s. This relationship that the two countries share directly affects that lives of millions of Mexican and United States citizens everyday. Recently these two countries have become even more unified than ever before. Tackling issues such as Border Control, Countering Narcotics, Dealing with multiple Law enforcement agencies, Human Rights laws, trade and development, etc. There are many issues that they are mutually interested in and must deal with. Yet, there are some vast differences in which these two countries are run. There are also many similarities, which we must take into account. Both Democratic Governments have similar structures, containing a legislative, judicial, and executive branch. Yet, these structures are very different internally, containing specific duties that the other country’s branch may not have.
The article by Rob Guerette is a case study involving the widely-reported increase of immigration into the United States. It tackles migration issues as well as related issues such as border security , security initiatives by individuals.. The article also provides in-depth research about the impact of illegal immigration into the United States including migrant deaths, deaths of non-migrants at the border, border security and the challenges faced by United States border patrol officers. The main purpose of the article was to provide an explanation as to whether the Border Patrol has any effect in saving the lives of people attempting to enter into the United States (Guerette, 2007).
The primary function of the Border Patrol Agency is "Line Watch"(web), which involves the apprehension of terrorists, smugglers and illegal people at the border. The book ‘Border Patrol nation’ by Tod Miller is a classic example of the Border patrol agency day to day activities and work culture. Tod Miller has researched and written about US-Mexican border issues for last 15 years. The book contains eleven chapters, which are well structured and inter related in respect to the arguments, evident and stories. This makes the book well
... the American economy for trade rather than their own country. The shift to a national highway in Canada supported trade and the economy in giving motorists the ability to travel through Canada without having to leave like which had to be done in previous years.
Martinez, Oscar. Border People: Life and Society in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1994), 232.
Medina, Isabel M. “At the Border: What Tres Mujeres Tells Us About Walls and Fences.” Journal of Gender, Race and Justice 10 (2007): 245-68.
In “The Border Patrol State” Leslie Silko makes accusations of the border patrol’s mistreatment of American citizens of Mexican decent, making the argument with almost evidence. Silko, a critically acclaimed poet, sees the border patrol as a governmental assembly addicted to interrogation, torture, and the murder of those they see fit.
Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "Minutemen Call for Border Security First, Only, and Now, 2006." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 585-586. Print.
Vaughan, Jessica M. “Aliens Who Overstay Their Visas Are a Serious Security Threat.” Opposing Viewpoints: Immigration. Eds. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 182-193. Print.
Neoliberalism, also called free market economy, is a set of economic policies that became widespread in the last 25 years. The concept neoliberalism, have been imposed by financial institutions that fall under the Bretton Woods such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Bank (Martinez & Garcia, 1996). One of the famous economists published a book called “The Wealth of Nations” in which he said in it that free trade is the best way to develop nations economies (Martinez & Garcia, 1996). He and other economists also encouraged the removal of government intervention in economic matters, no restrictions on manufacturing, removing borders and barriers between nations, and no taxes (Martinez & Garcia, 1996). The main goal of the economic globalization was to reduce poverty and inequality in the poorest regions. However, the effects of the neoliberal policies on people all over the world has been devastating (MIT, 2000).
The Mexican-American border barriers were originally built as part of a three-pronged approach to diminish illicit contraband, drug smuggling, and illegal immigrants. This operation would curtail drug transport routes from Central America. Three headquarters were established along the Unites States border: operation gatekeeper in California, Operation Hold-the-Line in Texas, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. These strategically placed headquarters have done an outstanding job securing our borders the past decade, however with drug smuggling on the rise, they require much more support from the government. Regrettably, adversaries of the barriers claim that they are more of a political gambit to instigate foreign affairs and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. These opponents see the United States-Mexico barrier as an unsuccessful deterrent to illegal immigrants and unwanted drugs that ultimately and inaptly endangers the security and wellbeing of immigrants seeking refuge in the States.
The thought of arriving immigrants in any host country has been accompanied by reactions of exclusion, and continues to expand throughout the years. During any social illness, immigrants tend to be the first to be held responsible by their recipient societies. Most crimes are associated with immigrants due to the fact that they may not posses the same socio-economics status as natives. Another contributing factor is the media that conducts numerous stories that highlight the image of immigrant crimes to recall the alleged difference between native and foreign born. Undoubtedly, the correlation between immigration and crime has become one of the most controversial discussions in current society. As we enter a new era, immigrants will have more impact on society than ever before (Feldmeyer, 2009).
What is border security? The United States Customs and Border Protection define border security as a “top priority is to keep terrorists and their weapons from entering the U.S. while welcoming all legitimate travelers and commerce. CBP officers and agents enforce all applicable U.S. laws, including against illegal immigration, narcotics smuggling and illegal importation. Therefore, in order for the United States to be successful in securing the nation’s border, there is an essential need for border security. This has not been an easy challenge but it is something that has to be done otherwise imagine how great a disaster our nation would be. For over 86 years, the United States' approach to securing its border with Mexico has seen many changes and improvements, all of which have contributed positively to the prevention of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and potential terrorism.