Documented Failures: the Consequences of Immigration Policy on the U.S.-Mexico Border

In Documented Failures: the Consequences of Immigration Policy on the U.S.-Mexico Border, Michael S. Danielson presents systematic documentation ofthe experiences of migrant women, men andchildren repatriated from the United States tocities along Mexico’s northern border, withparticular emphasis on the Nogales,Arizona/Nogales, Sonora, Mexico area.

The reportaddresses five common problems experienced byMexican and Central American migrants beforeand during migration and upon apprehension,detention and deportation by U.S. migrationauthorities.

1. The separation of migrants from familymembers they were traveling with whenapprehended and deported by the U.S.Border Patrol. Migrants are often separatedfrom their families, friends and loved onesduring the process of deportation. Thisseparation places migrants—the greatmajority of whom are from parts of Mexicovery far from the northern border or CentralAmerican countries—in situations ofunwarranted vulnerability in an increasinglydangerous region of Mexico.

2. Family separation as a driver of migrationand a continuing complication for familiesof mixed-legal status. As the number ofmixed immigration status families is steadilyincreasing, mothers, fathers, and guardianswho are deported by Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (ICE) are oftenseparated from their citizen children, whoremain in the U.S. with their other parent,guardians, other family members, or in fostercare. This section also examines how manyof those deported by U.S. migrationauthorities were attempting to reunite withimmediate family members already living inthe United States.

3. Violence as a cause of migration andabuses and physical security threatsexperienced by migrants duringnorthward journeys, border crossing, andafter deportation from the United States.As levels of violence directly and indirectlyrelated to drug trafficking have increasedthroughout Mexico and Central America inrecent years, violence has become anincreasingly common cause of migration.Furthermore, the growing prevalence ofviolence along the border means migrantsare often the victims of theft and physical,verbal and sexual abuse at the hands ofcriminal gangs, human smugglers, humantraffickers and thieves, risks that ought to betaken into consideration by U.S. migrationauthorities when deporting unauthorizedimmigrants to northern Mexico bordertowns.

4. Abuses and misconduct committed bythe U.S. Border Patrol and other U.S.migration authorities. Based on multipledata sources, the report demonstrates thatthere is systematic abuse and misconduct inthe process of apprehending, detaining anddeporting undocumented migrants. One infour migrants surveyed (24.8%) reportedbeing abused in some way by U.S. BorderPatrol agents, and data show thatDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS),and particularly the Border Patrol,systematically deny Mexican migrants theright to contact their consulate.

5. Abuses and misconduct committed bylocal police in Mexico.

KJ