Corruption at the Border: Intersections between US Labour Demands, Border Control, and Human Smuggling Economies

Based on a qualitative methodology that includes in‐depth interviews conducted between 2008 and 2017 with 180 migrant smugglers from Mexico, the objective of this paper is to analyse the way US employers' interest in having access to cheap labour feeds migrant smuggling, and is connected to cor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antipode 2019-09, Vol.51 (4), p.1210-1230
Main Author: Izcara Palacios, Simón Pedro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Border patrol
Borders
Boundaries
Corruption
Employers
Enforcement
Immigration
labour demand
migrant smugglers
Smuggling
Undocumented immigrants
United States
US employers
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Summary:Based on a qualitative methodology that includes in‐depth interviews conducted between 2008 and 2017 with 180 migrant smugglers from Mexico, the objective of this paper is to analyse the way US employers' interest in having access to cheap labour feeds migrant smuggling, and is connected to corruption in US border enforcement. We conclude that corruption on the US side of the border could be systematic and not a matter of a few bad apples. Corruption is manifested in selective enforcement, which is a pragmatic practice that justifies enhanced immigration enforcement, and benefits US immigration agents, US employers and Mexican smugglers, while undocumented border crossers suffer the monstrous effects of militarised border enforcement. Resumen Este artículo, sustentado en una metodología cualitativa que incluye entrevistas en profundidad realizadas entre 2008 y 2017 a 180 traficantes de migrantes mexicanos, tiene como objetivo analizar cómo el interés de los empleadores estadounidenses en acceder a mano de obra barata alimenta el tráfico de migrantes, y está conectado a la corrupción en el control fronterizo. Se concluye que la corrupción en el lado estadounidense de la frontera podría ser sistemática y no un asunto de unas pocas manzanas podridas. La corrupción se manifiesta en una aplicación selectiva de la ley migratoria, que es una práctica pragmática que justifica un incremento de recursos destinados al control migratorio, y beneficia a los agentes migratorios estadounidenses, a los empleadores de Estados Unidos y a los traficantes mexicanos, mientras que los migrantes indocumentados sufren los efectos monstruosos de la militarización de la frontera.
ISSN:0066-4812
1467-8330
DOI:10.1111/anti.12527