US-Mexico Border Research Articles

Love in the Drug War: selling sex and finding Jesus on the Mexico-US border by Sarah Luna

<i>Love in the Drug War: selling sex and finding Jesus on the Mexico-US border</i> by Sarah Luna

“Where People Come to Press Close to the Other Side”: Religion, Politics, and the American Border

“Where People Come to Press Close to the Other Side”: Religion, Politics, and the American Border Elizabeth Shakman Hurd In January 2020, I visited the US-Mexico border as a part of a group trip to northern Sonora with Border Community Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Tubac, Arizona.1 We crossed into Mexico at Nogales, a city bisected by the border and often called “Ambos Nogales” (“Both Nogales”) for that reason. While at the border I was struck by a sense of inevitability and banality; the relaxed posture of a US border official on his bike at Morley Gate (Figure 1) speaks to this feeling. Contributing to this laid-back atmosphere was the fact that my traveling companion, a fellow US citizen, and I were able to cross back and forth at will between the US and Mexico, as if passing through a metro station. At the end of our trip to Sonora, after crossing over to the US to check into our hotel, we decided to go back to Mexico for happy hour at La Roca, a bar nestled into a picturesque cliff face just steps from the border. A century ago, Mexican Nogales was a boomtown and haven for US Americans seeking to escape Prohibition. It [End Page 108] is said that at least one binational bar let US patrons drink as long as they stood on the Mexican side of the room. The border was largely irrelevant for those on both sides until the 1950s. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Photo taken by the author. Today that is not the case. At the Morley Gate crossing, while searching for the nineteenth-century border markers on the Mexican side of the wall, we noticed two people who, presumably, lacked permission to enter the United States. They were gazing through the border fence onto International Boulevard at the southern end of Nogales, Arizona (Figure 2). We wondered what they were doing. Waiting for someone? Just watching? Journalist and poet Amelia Urry observed that, “Nogales is a place where people come to press close to the other side.”2 The border was very much present for them. There were other signs of its presence. Within sight of the unimposing Morley Gate crossing sits Nogales Tactical. It sets a different tone. A block from the border, [End Page 109] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 2. Photo taken by the author. [End Page 110] Nogales Tactical sells tactical gear and accessories for actual and aspiring border enforcers. The sign and window display leave little doubt as to what is for sale (combat gear) and who the intended customers are (white American men). Their website reads: “Nogales Tactical is proud to serve the men and women of public safety and homeland security. Nogales Tactical specializes in tactical accessories, uniforms, and boots for Customs and Border Patrol, Local Police Departments, EMS, Firefighters, Military and Security. Custom fitting, alterations, tailoring and embroidery are available. Make sure to visit our store or call us for all your tactical needs.”3 My friend hesitated when I suggested we go inside to have a look, but we went. The store was huge. The sense of a no-holds-barred, heavily militarized defense of the border, of the United States, and of whiteness, was palpable, unpleasant, and, at times, frightening. We didn’t stay long. Most US Americans think the border should be secured and defended. The border, according to this consensus, is somewhat inevitable. Good fences make good neighbors. Big walls make better neighbors. It is not only Trump and his supporters who support a fortified border. US annual budgets for immigration and border enforcement have grown almost eighty-fold since 1978, totaling about 23 billion dollars in Fiscal Year 2021.4 As of 2016, the US was spending more on border and immigration enforcement than on all other federal law-enforcement agencies combined.5 The border is not only a line in the sand or a wall but also a web of heavily militarized and often racialized, US-overseen enforcement regimes that blanket the world.6 This was palpable at Nogales Tactical and in the CBP advertisements posted...

트럼프 정부의 반(反) 이민정책의 강화와 미국-멕시코 국경장벽 - 미국의 이민정책 논쟁과 사회 양극화를 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is to examine the spread of the immigration debate in the United States and the resulting social polarization from theoretical and historical perspectives. In particular, this article focuses on the analysis of the background and causes of the political, social, cultural and ideological polarization of American society due to the strengthening of the Trump’s anti-immigrant policy and the construction of the US-Mexico Border Wall. Although President Trump''s presidency is over, but his anti-immigrant policies and the Border Wall construction are still dividing, subjugating, and differentiating not only the United States, but the world. Examples include the Latino illegal immigration procession in 2018, the federal shutdown in 2019, and the occupation of the Capitol m 2020. At this point, the analysis of Trump’s anti-immigration policy is a task that must be performed not only for the sake of unity, equality, and safety in the United States from a narrow viewpoint, and the world from a broad perspective. The research method of this study analyzes government documents, news, papers and books based on literature research, and theoretically utilizes multiculturalism, assimilationism, and substantive conflict theory. Trump’s anti-immigration policy has both positive and negative aspects, but it has been evaluated as having more ‘disadvantages’ than ‘benefits’, which has many implications for Korea which is transitioning to a multicultural society.

Learning about Spatial and Temporal Proximity using Tree-Based Methods

AbstractLearning about the relationship between distance to landmarks and events and phenomena of interest is a multi-faceted problem, as it may require taking into account multiple dimensions, including: spatial position of landmarks, timing of events taking place over time, and attributes of occurrences and locations. Here I show that tree-based methods are well suited for the study of these questions as they allow exploring the relationship between proximity metrics and outcomes of interest in a non-parametric and data-driven manner. I illustrate the usefulness of tree-based methods vis-à-vis conventional regression methods by examining the association between: (i) distance to border crossings along the US-Mexico border and support for immigration reform, and (ii) distance to mass shootings and support for gun control.

Perceived Normalization of Drug Trafficking and Adolescent Substance Use on the US-Mexico Border.

Historically marginalized youth are at risk for daily substance use. Daily use may be associated with social and environmental factors. In March 2018, we surveyed primarily Latino adolescents ages 14-18 who lived on the US-Mexico border and assessed associations between daily substance use, neighborhood stress, border community and immigration stress, and family support. Of 443 surveyed adolescents, 41 (9%) reported daily use. Those who used daily were more likely to be older, identify as male, and reported lower social support and higher neighborhood and border community stress compared to those who did not use daily. Perceived neighborhood stress (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.37-2.80) and border community and immigration stress (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.12-2.02) were associated with increased odds of daily substance use. Latino adolescents who live near the US-Mexico border experience unique socioenvironmental stress which is associated with daily substance use.

Exploring translanguaging events through a multilingual writing course design

ABSTRACT The article describes the translingual theoretical underpinnings guiding the design of a multilingual writing course. The course was offered at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a Hispanic Serving Institution. The design of the course challenged monolingual ideologies in academic writing through community partnerships with non-profit community organisations committed to social justice on the US-Mexico border region. I explore translingual pedagogies in community partnerships as an approach to build students’ linguistic awareness of monolingual, multilingual, and translingual ideologies (Ayash, N. B. (2019). Toward translingual realities in composition: (Re)working local language representations and practices. Utah State University Press). Through reflections on my course design, specifically the syllabus design, introductory activities, and major course projects, I explore teaching practices that fostered self-reflection on language choices. Through translingual dispositions, we can highlight multilingual students’ abilities to negotiate, resist, and question languages as they advocate for social issues that affect their communities through writing, research, and collaboration.

Bricozaje: Between Contested Terrains and Aesthetic Borderlands

This essay examines public artworks by Jari “WERC” Alvarez and Geraldine “Gera” Lozano in San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas. It theorizes “bricozaje,” a concept that combines the terms “bricolage” and “mestizaje,” to argue that the artists enact a reparative relationship to the works’ sites through their use of imagery. The essay first looks at Alvarez’s and Lozano’s sketchbooks to trace bricozaje’s valences as a material practice and critique of bricolage. It proceeds to examine bricozaje as a collaborative practice through the creation of La Entrada (2009), a mural project in San Diego. It then contextualizes the public art project Bright Women (2011) in relation to representations of the US-Mexico border, and concludes by articulating how bricozaje acts as a formal strategy through Lozano’s engagement with gendered iconography.

The Influence of Sentiments of Economic Agents on Pedestrians and Vehicle Crossings along the US–Mexico Border

This study aimed to investigate the impact of people’s sentiments toward border crossings on personal vehicle and pedestrian crossings along the US–Mexico border. This study focused on regional factors and employed data derived from Google Trends as a proxy for people’s sentiments. Monthly data from the first quarter of 2004 to February 2020 were used. Different regression models were used to address stationarity. After controlling for economic conditions and external events, the primary findings are as follows: first, pedestrian and personal vehicle crossings are sensitive to exchange rate fluctuations. Second, the economic cycle has a slightly higher impact on pedestrians than personal vehicle crossings. Third, an increase in the hostile environment toward immigration in the U.S. may negatively impact pedestrian crossings, especially in Texas. Moreover, a rolling regression was used to examine the impact of people’s sentiments on crossings over time.

¡Viva George!: Celebrating Washington’s Birthday at the US-Mexico Border. Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture. By Elaine A. Peña

<i>¡Viva George!: Celebrating Washington’s Birthday at the US-Mexico Border</i>. Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture. By Elaine A. Peña

Disparities in Guideline-Concordant Treatment and Survival Among Border County Residents With Gastric Cancer.

Previous studies have shown health disparities among US-Mexico border county (BC) residents. However, the impact of BC residence on gastric cancer treatment and survival outcomes is unknown. Our study compares the receipt of guideline-concordant care (GCC) and survival for patients with gastric cancer by BC status. We conducted a retrospective review of adult non-Hispanic White and Hispanic patients with gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 in the Texas Cancer Registry. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical group differences, with pooled t-tests used to compare group means. The impact of BC residence on likelihood of receiving GCC was assessed with logistic regression. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with log-rank tests. Our cohort consisted of 12,514 patients (15% BC). Overall, 45% of nonborder county residents received GCC versus 35% of BC residents (P < .0001). After adjusting for age, race, stage, and insurance status, BC patients remained significantly less likely to receive GCC (odds ratio 0.69; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.78). BC residence was associated with increased hazard of all-cause mortality after accounting for age, race, stage, poverty index, and treatment receipt (hazard ratio 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.18). BC residents had significantly worse overall survival for localized and regional disease. BC residents with gastric cancer are less likely to receive GCC and have significantly worse survival outcomes than nonborder county residents. This highlights significant health care disparities arising from the lack of health care access and multiple social determinants of health. Further studies are needed to identify specific contributing mechanisms to improve health care equity.

Flood resilience in paired US–Mexico border cities: a study of binational risk perceptions

Disastrous floods in the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, USA, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico (collectively referred to as Ambos Nogales) occur annually in response to monsoonal summer rains. Flood-related hazards include property damage, impairment to sewage systems, sewage discharge, water contamination, erosion, and loss of life. Flood risk, particularly in Nogales, Sonora, is amplified by informal, “squatter” settlements in the watershed floodplain and associated development and infrastructure. The expected increase in precipitation intensity, resulting from climate change, poses further risk to flooding therein. We explore binational community perceptions of flooding, preferences for watershed management, and potential actions to address flooding and increase socio-ecological resilience in Ambos Nogales using standardized questionnaires and interviews to collect data about people and their preferences. We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with local subject matter experts and gathered survey responses from community members in Ambos Nogales. Though survey response was limited, expected frequencies were high enough to conduct Chi-squared tests of independence to test for statistically significant relationships between survey variables. Results showed that respondents with previous experience with flooding corresponded with their level of concern about future floods. Additionally, respondents perceived greater flood-related risks from traveling across town and damage to vehicles than from inundation or damages to their homes or neighborhoods. Binationally, women respondents felt less prepared for future floods than men. On both sides of the border, community members and local experts agreed that Ambos Nogales lacks adequate preparation for future floods. To increase preparedness, they recommended flood risk education and awareness campaigns, implementation of green infrastructure, additional stormwater infrastructure (such as drainage systems), enhanced flood early warning systems, and reduction of flood flows through regulations to reduce the expansion of hard surfaces. This study contributes systematic collection of information about flood risk perceptions across an international border, including novel data regarding risks related to climate change and gender-based assessments of flood risk. Our finding of commonalities across both border communities, in perceptions of flood risk and in the types of risk reduction solutions recommended by community members, provides clear directions for flood risk education, outreach, and preparedness, as well as measures to enhance cross-border cooperation.

When the State Shatters Families. The US Family Separation Policy of 2018, Cruelty and Patrimonial Sovereignty

AbstractIn 2018, the Trump administration separated thousands of families arriving at the US–Mexico border to ask for asylum in the framework of its “zero-tolerance” policy. This extraordinary act of cruelty violated several provisions of international human rights, refugee, and family protections, many of which the United States itself had drafted, initiated, and championed. The article asks about the understanding of sovereignty that underscored the zero-tolerance policy. Drawing on Max Weber's distinction of several forms of legitimating political authority, the article develops the argument that this policy reflects a patrimonial understanding of sovereignty and how this understanding intersects with notions of family and nation. It specifically discusses these intersections in the case of United States’ sovereignty developing in a settler colonial state and in contested borderlands. By developing this perspective, the article draws out the conditions of possibility under which institutional and structural violence can tip into explicitly cruel policies like those of the US family separations of 2018. The article contributes, on the one hand, to analyze deeply the foundations of US understandings of the state's sovereignty and, on the other hand, to better comprehending which types of sovereignty enable cruelty against migrants and refugees at which points in time.

Babesiosis and Theileriosis in North America.

Babesia and Theileria are apicomplexan parasites that cause established and emerging diseases in humans, domestic and wild animals. These protozoans are transmitted by Ixodid ticks causing babesiosis or theileriosis, both characterized by fever, hemolytic anemia, jaundice, and splenomegaly. In North America (NA), the most common species affecting humans is B. microti, which is distributed in the Northeastern and Upper Midwestern United States (US), where the tick vector Ixodes scapularis is established. In livestock, B. bovis and B. bigemina are the most important pathogens causing bovine babesiosis in tropical regions of Mexico. Despite efforts toward eradication of their tick vector, Rhipicephalus microplus, B. bovis and B. bigemina present a constant threat of being reintroduced into the southern US and represent a continuous concern for the US cattle industry. Occasional outbreaks of T. equi, and T. orientalis have occurred in horses and cattle, respectively, in the US, with significant economic implications for livestock including quarantine, production loss, and euthanasia of infected animals. In addition, a new species, T. haneyi, has been recently discovered in horses from the Mexico-US border. Domestic dogs are hosts to at least four species of Babesia in NA that may result in clinical disease that ranges from subclinical to acute, severe anemia. Herein we review the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the most important diseases caused by Babesia and Theileria to humans, domestic and wild animals in Canada, the US, and Mexico.

Mobile postcards: Zapotec imagined mobility

ABSTRACT In this essay, I discuss YouTube travel videos produced by Zapotec Indigenous communities across the US–Mexico border. These point-of-view travel videos that depict the arrival of the videographer into Indigenous communities along the International Highway 190 in Oaxaca, Mexico. To those unfamiliar with the regions depicted, they are seemingly devoid of content, but for undocumented Zapotec viewers who reside away from their homelands, these videos offer them a way to exercise an imaginative mobility. Drawing from the fields of mobility studies, media studies, and critical Indigenous studies, I examine how these YouTube videos are mobile postcards that help immigrant communities stay connect to their communities and challenge uneven structures that deny them the ability to travel freely across borders. In this essay, I contextualize how settler colonial structures in both Mexico and the US intervene in the lives of Zapotec communities in ways that attempt to dictate Indigenous people’s mobility.

US-Mexico Border Stress and Daily Substance Use among Latino Youth: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Historically marginalized youth are at risk for daily substance use. Daily use may be associated with social and environmental factors. In March 2018, we surveyed primarily Latino adolescents ages 14-18 who lived on the US-Mexico border and assessed associations between daily substance use, neighborhood stress, border community and immigration stress, and family support. Of 443 surveyed adolescents, 41 (9%) reported daily use. Those who used daily were more likely to be older, identify as male, and reported lower social support and higher neighborhood and border community stress compared to those who did not use daily. Perceived neighborhood stress (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.37-2.80) and border community and immigration stress (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.12-2.02) were associated with increased odds of daily substance use. Latino adolescents who live near the US-Mexico border experience unique socioenvironmental stress which is associated with daily substance use.

Occupational Stressors and Access to COVID-19 Resources among Commuting and Residential Hispanic/Latino Farmworkers in a US-Mexico Border Region

Hispanic/Latino and migrant workers experience high degrees of occupational stress, constitute most of California’s agricultural workforce, and were among the most impacted populations by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, relatively little is known about the occupational stress experienced by farmworkers who commute daily between the US and Mexico. Occupational stress is considered an imbalance between the demands at work and the capabilities to respond in the context of the workforce. The goal of this study is to determine the type and severity of stressors in daytime and resident farmworkers and how COVID-19 vaccination status contributes to these stressors. Interviews containing the Migrant Farmworker Stress Inventory (MSWSI) were administered to a sample of 199 Hispanic/Latino farmworkers in Imperial County, a multi-billion-dollar agriculture sector in the US. Principal factor analysis differentiated latent factors in the MFSWI. Simple linear regression models and correlations identified associations between MFWSI scores and sample characteristics. The MFWSI reduced to five stressor domains: Health and Well-Being Vulnerabilities, Inadequate Standards of Living/Unknown Conditions of Living, Working Conditions, Working Environment, and Language Barriers. Approximately 40 percent of the respondents reported significant stress levels, with foreign-born (p = 0.014) and older respondents (p = 0.0415) being more likely to experience elevated stress regardless of their nighttime residence. We found that Spanish-language COVID-19 outreach might have been particularly effective for workers who reported high stress from English-language communication (p = 0.001). Moreover, our findings point to the importance of worker and human rights to mitigate the high-stress foreign-born workers who live in Mexico and the US experience.

Proposal for used electronic products management in Mexicali

Mexicali, a Mexican city located near the US-Mexico border, has faced several challenges related to adopting an integrated e-waste management system. Thus, the main objective of this work is to propose a new system to be implemented in phases. The current system is evaluated using several methodological approaches including field studies, surveys, interviews, and quantitative modeling via material flow analysis. We suggest the need to properly integrate both the formal and informal sectors to achieve the optimal system that mitigates environmental impacts while preserving the positive social and economic traits of the current system. Thus, without supplanting the current reuse, refurbishment, repair and maintenance practices, a hybrid system is proposed, based on a centralized facility that primarily handles those parts or materials that create environmental impacts and health hazards if mishandled. Furthermore, a decentralized transition phase toward the new system is recommended.

Association of ADHD and Obesity in Hispanic Children on the US-Mexico Border: A Retrospective Analysis.

Pediatric obesity and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are rising health concerns in the United States, especially among Hispanic children and adolescents. Research on Hispanic children and adolescents indicates disproportionately higher prevalence rates of obesity in this community but scant data on ADHD prevalence rates. In contrast, a plethora of research studies across the general population examines the relationship between childhood obesity and ADHD. In addition, there is a lack of research that examines the role of ethnicity and sub-ethnic group correlations in ADHD, particularly in the Hispanic population. Existing studies in the general population indicate ADHD may be a risk factor for being overweight compared to normal controls. The objective of the present study is to examine the prevalence of obesity in children with ADHD compared to children in the general population in a predominately Hispanic sample on the US-Mexico border. A total of 7,270 pediatric medical records were evaluated. The retrospective analysis included Body Mass Index (BMI) and related health variables, and ethnicity and showed that children with ADHD are more likely to be underweight. In conclusion, no significant relationship existed between obesity and ADHD among Hispanic children on the US-Mexico Border, and instead we found the opposite correlation.

Factors facilitating and hindering volunteering practices among ethnic-racial minority immigrants on the US-Mexico border

ABSTRACT Using purposive sampling and in-depth interviews of 40 ethnic-racial minority immigrants (first-, 1.5-, and second- generations) on the US-Mexico border, this study examined factors that facilitated and hindered decisions to volunteer. Overall, analyses based on the Grounded Theory Method indicated that the participants’ proclivity to volunteer was driven by multifaceted factors related to the availability of their personal resources, altruistic concerns over the welfare of the disadvantaged, cost-benefit analyses that factored opportunity cost in decision-making, self-interest, and personal benefits accrued. Specifically, volunteering could be used as a venue to foster professional career development, attain personal growth, reap emotional benefits, and fulfil altruistic callings. Factors that deterred the participants from volunteering consisted of value clashes with the agency management, personality conflicts with other volunteers, challenges confronted in working with difficult client populations, and time constraints. This study also supported the resource perspective where participants with more personal resources such as time, network, knowledge, values, skill sets, and expertise were able to volunteer in a wider variety of capacities. Study findings can be used to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in volunteering, remove barriers that hinder involvement, and encourage contribution from this growing segment of the U.S. population.

Forensic citizenship among families of missing migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border

ABSTRACT Since the mid-1990s, US federal policy has funneled unauthorized migration through remote portions of the Sonoran Desert, resulting in thousands of deaths and disappearances. Research about the work to find, care for, and identify those who have died at international borders largely focuses on forensic authorities or humanitarian volunteers. Often left out of such analyses are the families of the missing and dead, who I argue are some of the most critical actors in this work. Drawing on fieldwork done between 2006 and 2021, in this article I discuss how families of missing migrants impact forensic procedures on the US-Mexico border. They do this by learning forensic skills and developing relationships with state forensic authorities. I argue that families of missing migrants are engaged in forms of active citizenship that build relationships of care and obligation among themselves, state forensic authorities, and the missing and dead.