Migra corridos and the pernicious benevolence of US government-sponsored sonic propaganda

Abstract

Since 2005 the US Border Patrol has distributed musical propaganda mimicking the structure of traditional Mexican ballads (corridos) to dissuade undocumented migrants from crossing the US border. These songs, referred to as migra corridos, have been distributed through radio stations in Mexico and Central America and in US cities with large Spanish-speaking communities and played continuously for some detainees at Border Patrol field offices and headquarters in Arizona. Brutal tales of migrant pain and suffering, the migra corridos naturalize dangerous conditions along the US–Mexico border while eclipsing both the socioeconomic realities that impel migrants to attempt the perilous border crossing and the role US foreign policy and border escalation have played in creating dangerous conditions along the border. Ultimately, the migra corridos legitimize the Border Patrol’s self-representation as a humanitarian agency that, as the instrument of a benevolent nation-state, saves migrant lives.