Clandestine Migration Along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Instructor: Stephanie Leutert
Client: Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law
Ideal for: Students interested in transit migration, borders and border enforcement, migrant risk and mortality
Skills: No special skills required
For more than 140 years, clandestine migrants have attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Unlike asylum seekers, who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border and seek out Border Patrol agents, clandestine migrants seek to evade detection as they pass through U.S. territory. These individuals’ journeys often include multiple stages throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region, which include 1) physically crossing the border, 2) vehicle pick-ups, 3) time in stash houses, and 4) Border Patrol checkpoint concealment or circumvention. At each stage, clandestine migrants may rely on smugglers and face a range of safety risks.
This Policy Research Project takes a deep dive into clandestine migration along different parts of the U.S.-Mexico border. Students will be split into groups that cover one geographic area along the border (South Texas, West Texas, Arizona, California). Students will then seek to answer three specific research questions for their geographic region:
1. How do clandestine migrants currently transit through this area of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands?
2. What are the associated safety risks for migrants?
3. Who are the people that facilitate clandestine migration in this geographic region?
To answer these questions, students will engage with multiple methods. These methods will include building a qualitative dataset from local newspaper articles, press releases, and court records; analyzing these datasets’ findings; soliciting and examining migrant safety and mortality data from various agencies; and conducting targeted interviews. Each group will produce a policy report for their specific geographic area that addresses the three research questions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is the client for this Policy Research Project.