Abstract:
Across the political spectrum, the US immigration system is widely regarded as ‘broken’. It is broken not only in terms of growing numbers of undocumented persons residing in the country (currently twelve million) but also on account of the contradictions that shape border policing. The most obvious of these is the push and pull dynamic that drives illegal migration from Mexico in particular (Mexicans account for roughly 60 per cent of undocumented migrants). Since the 1980s, neo-liberal restructuring has led to widespread displacement of rural populations in Mexico and the entrenchment of a culture of migrating north as one of the few realistic options for work. Remittances sent home by Mexicans abroad amounted to more than (US) $26 billion in 2008 and are a crucial element in family, community and government strategies for economic development. On the US side of the border, agriculture, construction, hospitality and domestic services are heavily dependent on the informal labour that Mexicans provide. Under these conditions, the deportation of undocumented migrants is not only ethically questionable but logistically impossible and economically unfeasible for both countries.
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