The Mexico-Canada border: extraterritorial border control and the production of 'economic refugees'. (2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Young, Julie E.E.
• Is Part Of: International journal of migration and border studies. Volume 4:Number 1/2(2018)
• Page Start: 35
• Page End: 50
• Publication Date: 2018
• Subjects: Mexico-Canada border -- extraterritorial border control -- economic refugees -- refugee policies -- migration management -- discourse -- visa requirement -- anti-crime capacity building program -- deterrence -- Canada -- Mexico -- North America; Emigration and immigration -- Periodicals; Border security -- Periodicals; 304.805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-2419

Abstract

By examining the Mexico-Canada border, I argue that the interplay between discourses of the 'bogus economic refugee' and Canada's extraterritorial bordering practices is crucial to understanding human security in North America. The concept of the Mexico-Canada border is shorthand for how Canadian policies and practices aim to police Mexico's borders. For example, Canada implemented a visa requirement in 2009 in response to a 'surge' in refugee claims by Mexican nationals. The term also signals how Mexico has been constructed as the focus of regional migration management, including through Canada's Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program to support policing and border security efforts within Mexico. Both initiatives contribute to a broader Canadian strategy of Mexican refugee deterrence.