Recent Immigration Policies in Mexico: The Failures of a Hardening Approach toward Irregular Migrant Flows

Abstract

The 2018 Central American migrant crisis, in which thousands of people traveled through Mexico in caravans toward the United States border, was a milestone in Mexican immigration policies. The humanitarian crisis evidenced the poverty and vulnerability to which migrants are exposed in their places of origin. At the same time, immigration policies in Mexico became more restrictive due to both internal and external political pressure and, as a result, the securitization measures have become more pervasive than all other migration control policies. This article suggests that this new approach to migration could be ineffective over the long-term, whilst becoming increasingly dangerous for migrants.