Crossing the border from boyhood to manhood: male youth experiences of crossing, loss, and structural violence as unaccompanied minors

Abstract

Despite the immense literature that exists on the dilemmas and unjust practices surrounding migration, little has been written about the youth who make migratory journeys on their own or who are separated from their adult companions along the way. Termed ‘Unaccompanied Alien Children’ by Homeland Security, the experiences of these youth provide insight into how immigration policies are enacted and how they reflect national views on the poor and marginalised. The research discussed here covers six years of interviews and participant observation with male youth residing in shelters on both sides of the US/Mexico border at the San Diego/Tijuana corridor. The research demonstrates how state policies and perceptions of gendered male youth by both nations reinvents them as dangerous while at the same time denies them a masculine subjectivity, thereby furthering their marginalisation and assuring their failure.