El Que Nada Debe, Nada Teme: Ritualized State Violence at the U.S.-Mexico Border

• In Event: Race, Class and Migration

Abstract

What factors explain the variation in transfronterizos border-crossing experiences? What are the effects of discriminatory policing practices at the Mexico-U.S. border on transfronterizo’s overall sense of legal empowerment? Transfronterizos are a heterogeneous population including U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and Mexican nationals who regularly cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. for a variety of purposes including work, education, and commerce. Using a mixed method approach, including in-depth interviews, focus-groups, and an original survey, I explore the various ways transfronterizos from the Ciudad Juarez-El Paso (N=1300) and the San Diego-Tijuana(N=770) regions interpret their border crossing experiences and legitimize discriminatory border policing practices from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. My evidence suggests that individuals who reported that their experience crossing the border was positive or “normal,” were not precluded experiencing other consequences from crossing, including direct impacts to their health or experiencing civil and human rights violations. However, these same individuals were more likely to legitimize discrimination as part of a daily routine and were less likely to denounce or file formal complaints when they experienced rights violations. While some expressed fear of retaliation from CBP, my qualitative data suggests that individuals rationalize discriminatory policing at the border as the price to pay to be able to successfully cross and lead a binational lifestyle.
This project provides one of the first comprehensive original datasets on this highly under-researched population. My study contributes to the Latino political behavior and international migration literature as it examines the ways in which crossing one of the most contentious borders in the world affects individuals’ notions of citizenship and sense of belonging to the U.S. society, and how routine interactions with the state and experiencing systematic discrimination impacts political attitudes. The focus on transfronterizos also provide a different angle to make sense of how immigration and border enforcement policies affect not only undocumented migrants, but also authorized migrants, including transfronterizos and asylum seekers, who have a right to cross the border.

Author

• Estefania Castaneda Perez