Center of Latin American & Border Studies
The Unintended Consequences of U.S. Border and Interior Immigration Policies | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future.
The Unintended Consequences of U.S. Border and Interior Immigration Policies
Center of Latin American & Border Studies
30 December 2021
The Unintended Consequences of U.S. Border and Interior Immigration Policies
Over 2.9 million immigrants have been deported since 2008, including 272,000 parents of American children between 2010 and 2013 alone. More recently, despite the U.S.’ long tradition of offering a safe haven to individuals fleeing persecution and violence, during President Donald Trump’s Administration, several policies limited migrants’ right to seek asylum when arriving at the southern border. The administration adopted the Migrant Protection Protocols (or “Remain in Mexico”), which forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, often for months, for their day in court in front of an immigration judge. Simultaneously, the administration announced a ban on asylums for individuals who transited through a third country before arriving at the U.S. southern border, effectively barring Central American refugees who crossed Mexico from requesting asylum. In this presentation, Dr. Bucheli will explore the objectives of these policies and examine some of their unintended consequences through the lens of his own research. Dr. Bucheli will analyze the impact of the escalation of interior and border immigration enforcement on Hispanics’ electoral representation, academic outcomes among U.S. citizens and foreign-born individuals, unauthorized border crossings, and family separation at the border.
