Drugs, Ethnic Profiling, and the American Perception of Colombian Immigrants, 1979-1990

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the media’s portrayal of Colombian drug trafficking turned into a stigma that affected the Colombian community in the United States. By reviewing periodical sources between the years 1979-1990, this paper argues that the formation of the drug trafficking stigma stems from the media's almost exclusive portrayal of Colombians as drug traffickers, within a context of U.S.-Colombia relations that encompassed tensions regarding responsibility for the growing transnational drug problem. Ultimately, this study proves that the drug trafficking stigma for Colombian immigrants is inherently tied to how American society viewed the Colombian government’s actions in the war on Drugs