Ten years ago, in 2005, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security introduced its Secure Border Initiative (SBI). Today, the Mexico-U.S. wall is a fact of everyday life for millions of people who live in its shadow. Disagreements persist about how effective the border fortifications have been, but two outcomes are certain: the SBI intervention has … Continue reading »
Mexican border
Beware the growing U.S.-Mexico border industrial complex
Border walls are the instruments of last resort in the armory of geopolitics. Their current proliferation on a global scale is an expression of failed diplomacy in response to conflict, persecution, and migration. The wall between Mexico and the U.S. is now deeply ensconced in the consciousness of communities on both sides of the international … Continue reading »
Dousing the flames of immigration rhetoric with facts
The European Union confronts a massive crisis as migrants and refugees flood across its borders. Anti-immigrant sentiment has led Hungary to begin building a fence along its border with Serbia in order to keep migrants out. In response, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, reminded us that walls won’t work: “We can build … Continue reading »
Is the U.S. Falling Behind Mexico? News from Ambos Nogales
In the Mexican border town of Nogales, I sat finishing my lunch when Alma, a Sonoran friend who had been watching the diners, spoke quietly: “That’s something you would never have seen a year ago – Mexican men eating salads.” It was, she explained, because of the rising awareness of diet-related health problems in Mexico, … Continue reading »
Building connections (not more walls) along the U.S.-Mexico border
As the immigration debate heats up in Washington, D.C., and around the country, various interest groups are lining up to make sure they get what they want from reform, whether it’s more fences, protections for American workers, visas for qualified high-tech workers, or increased immigration quotas for specific nations. One important group has so far … Continue reading »