Abstract

ANDRADE RUBIO, Karla Lorena; TREJO GUZMAN, Nelly Paulina  and  MORA VASQUEZ, Alberto. Migrant smuggling on the Mexico-United States border. Rev. Guillermo Ockham [online]. 2022, vol.20, n.1, pp.175-189.  Epub Apr 07, 2022. ISSN 1794-192X.  https://doi.org/10.21500/22563202.5628.

Migrant smuggling on the Mexico-United States border is a phenomenon that started more than a century ago, caused by the implementation of restrictive border control policies. The objective of this article is to carry out a review of the investigations that have dealt with this subject. Three selection criteria were used: 1) investigations based on anecdotal data, journalistic information or official reports; 2) studies that were supported on the testimonies of victimized migrants, and 3) research that examine the voices of women and children who traffic migrants. Finally, two conceptualizations of this activity are opposed: one carried out by the social networks of migrants and other one by labor demand. While some scholars portray traffickers as shadowy figures linked to organized crime, other researchers present them in a friendlier image. We conclude that the methodological approach used constitutes the main differentiating element of the conceptualization of migrant smuggling.

Keywords : migrant smuggling; organized crime; border control; border; Mexico; United States.

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