Description
For the fourth straight year the United States reached an all time high of repatriations. The humiliation of this process often times includes being shackled, detained, interrogated, verbally abused, and coerced into signing removal papers. The criminalization of being "unauthorized" is a manifestation of symbolic violence that reproduces the cultural and historical domination of the U.S. over Mexico. For years, Mexicans have supplied the U.S. with cheap labor that has allowed the agricultural and service sectors of the U.S. economy to thrive. Despite this longstanding relationship, anti-immigrant sentiment and policies pervade. Using Pierre Bourdieu's framework of symbolic violence this research highlights how history, policies, and ideology manifest in interactions between U.S. authorities and unauthorized immigrants through narratives of deported men and women. To date, there is little scholarship examining the processes that take place during and after repatriation. This qualitative study seeks to fill this gap by examining the lived experiences of repatriated migrants and the immediate psychological and emotional impact. By evoking subjectivity, a gendered analysis was conducted that showed how gender, culture, and identity connect to the stress related factors following a repatriation. Participant observation and structured interviews were conducted with both men (N=7) and women (N=7) at designated migrant- receiving shelters in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. This research showed that abuse and dehumanization occurred at every level of the repatriation process. Women found the abuse deeply offensive while their male counterparts perceived it as a normalized part of the migration experience. Mothers separated from their children exhibited the most obvious signs of emotional and psychological distress, while men were emotionally restrictive. Coping strategies were found to be inherently gendered as women engaged in more active coping strategies than their male counterparts.
