Migratory Flows from Central America and United States Border Control

Victor Cabral

doi:10.5433/2176-6665.2024v29n3e50043

Authors

Victor Cabral Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6974-5156

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/2176-6665.2024v29n3e50043

Keywords:

border control, forced migration, United States, Mexico, border externalization

Abstract

This article examines forced migration from Central America and criticises the US response, questioning the effectiveness of border control methods, particularly biometrics. It explores two US programmes in Mexico, Frontera Sur and Remain in Mexico. The review analysed the literature on critical security studies and migration, with a focus on Mexican productions. The results indicate diverse measures employed by the US to deter unwanted migrants, including the use of biometric borders to enhance border security and the implementation of racial and social criteria to allow or prevent the passage of certain individuals. The examination of Frontera Sur and Remain in Mexico reveals a US border externalization by making Mexico a buffer state, which hinders migratory flows and creates a vertical border that impedes migrants' journey northward. The article concludes that these measures infringe upon migrants' human rights, limiting their mobility and their pursuit of refuge in the United States.

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Author Biography

Victor Cabral, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro

Master's in Geography from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (2022). PhD candidate in International Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

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