The Dome over the Golden Door

Abstract

Abstract The aerial dome is the single most effective block in the architecture of remote control. The contemporary dome over U.S., Canadian, and Mexican airspace was derived from controls over transoceanic shipping passengers dating back to the nineteenth century. Its deeply rooted history makes the system seem natural. The use and framing of mobility controls as a way to protect national security also has a history more than a century old. Terrorist attacks further generated a strong security rationale for strict passenger controls that states then use to keep out all manner of unwanted foreigners. Many controls are exercised in spaces that are difficult for watchdogs to access. The people harmed by the system because they are blocked from reaching sanctuary are uncounted and unseen. As a result of these characteristics, there are few institutional constraints on the system of visas, carrier sanctions, liaison officers, pre-clearance operations, and international anti-smuggling operations that together constitute the dome.