Summary
Published in Victims & Offenders, this article co-authored by Gabriella Sanchez, a research fellow with the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, argues that increased securitization and border-hardening have brought income-generating practices to people living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Rather than these practices being solely tied to the activities of transnational organized crime (namely, drug trafficking organizations), they constitute community-based responses to the increasing marginalization and inequality afflicting Mexico’s northern border region.
In Their Own Words: Children and the Facilitation of Migrant Journeys on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Author: Gabriella Sanchez
This study follows a group of 18 young people living in the U.S.-Mexico border city of Juarez who participate in assisting migrants to cross into the United States clandestinely. Findings in this study challenge mainstream perceptions concerning migrant smuggling dynamics and open new possibilities in our understanding of the motivations and lives of the people behind migrant journeys.