Quick lit. review
Referencing existing research on the U.S.-Mexico border and Haitian migration
This post offers a review of existing academic research related to the U.S.-Mexico border and Haitian migration. Understanding these studies helps to frame the complex dynamics shaping migration experiences and border enforcement in places like Del Rio, Texas, and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila.
The U.S.-Mexico border is a complex, contested space shaped by evolving enforcement strategies, shifting policies, and the everyday experiences of local communities (Díaz and Karibo 2020; Ettinger 2010; Lim 2017; Kang 2017; Lytle Hernández 2010). Researchers, particularly Chicana feminists, have emphasized the borderlands as fluid and interconnected spaces that cross cultural, social, and political boundaries (Anzaldúa 1999; Gaspar de Alba 2014; Moraga 1993; Pérez 1999). However, while these frameworks have broadened our understanding of the border as a symbolic and social space, they can sometimes underplay the very real material and bureaucratic obstacles faced by borderland residents—especially those navigating immigration enforcement systems on a daily basis.
U.S. immigration policies have historically shaped mobility through restrictive measures and uneven enforcement, often forcing migrants into more dangerous routes and deepening inequalities (Chin and Cuison Villazor 2015; Ettinger 2010; Lim 2017; Cantú 2019; De Leon 2015; Dunn 2009; Kocher 2023; Miller 2019; Nevins 2010; Slack, Martínez, and Whiteford 2018). These enforcement strategies contribute to the hardships migrants face, influencing both their journey and their lives once they reach border communities.
Recent research focusing specifically on Haitian migrants at the border reveals a wide range of experiences, from efforts at economic integration to encounters with racial discrimination and exclusion (Coulange Méroné and Castillo 2020; Hernández López, Alonso, and Porraz Gómez 2020; Ramírez Meda and Méndez Fierros 2022; Rosales Martínez, Calva Sánchez, and Vázquez Delgado 2022). Large-scale Haitian arrivals in places like Tijuana during the mid-2010s put pressure on local resources and created tensions within communities, sparking a mix of solidarity and negative reactions (Burey Garbey 2018; Rosas-Lopez, Guilamo-Ramos, and Mora-Rivera 2023; Torre Cantalapiedra and Mariscal Nava 2020). These challenges highlight the complex social dynamics Haitian migrants face beyond simply crossing borders.
Much of this research, however, tends to focus mainly on either the U.S. or Mexico side of the border, often overlooking the interconnected binational context that shapes migration and local responses (Staudt and Coronado 2016). Migrants, communities, and enforcement policies do not exist in isolation on one side or the other. To fully understand migration patterns and experiences, it is important to look at how these border cities and regions are linked and influence one another.