Description
This project begins by making an argument for the right to the U.S.-Mexico border. It identifies the goals of society and how border security over the past thirty years, in conjunction with neoliberalism, has worked both for and against these very same goals. Securitization at the border, to a certain extent, has been a response to the undesirable side-effects of neoliberalism, as unauthorized migration and drug trafficking have both been increased and empowered by this form of economic policy. On top of this, 9/11 and the threat of terrorism has added an additional layer of security at the border. As a result, the lives of ordinary citizens and borderlanders—those individuals who live dual lives on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico divide—are incredibly interrupted by the security response of both the U.S. and Mexico. In response to this interruption, however, those political entities in charge of governing the border rank the plight of ordinary citizens and borderlanders very far down the list of priorities. The author concludes that the right to the border could best be realized by way of a more democratic binational entity that controls the U.S.-Mexico border. However, given the infeasibility of such an event coming to fruition, other more achievable steps are suggested, such as more extensive funding of drug prevention and drug treatment programs, and immigration reform.
