A World Between: The Macro and Micro-relationships that Shape the Borderlands

Author

Teresa DiGerolamo

Date of Award

5-2024

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Political Science BA

Department

Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs

First Advisor

Dr. Matthew Casey, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

History

Abstract

This thesis explores changing border policies, their effects on migrants, and the humanitarian community that has emerged to meet the needs of migrants. Border policy has sought to make the journey through the U.S.-Mexico border perilous and unattractive for travelers, pushing migrants into dangerous terrain known to reach life-threatening extremes in the summer and winter months. Over 8,000 migrants have died since 1998 along the U.S.-Mexico border, and aid groups have emerged to meet the need for life-saving care. The humanitarian community in southern Arizona is active and dynamic, adapting to ever-changing border policy and mobilizing resources year-round. Through reviewing U.S. foreign policy, federal reports, and academic literature, I lay the foundation of the political landscape in the border region by conducting on-site research in four southern Arizona cities. Additionally, the World Bank’s and the U.S. Department of Justice’s statistical data is studied to understand the path of migration for different Latin American and Caribbean countries as individuals apply for asylum. Interviewees include border security, humanitarians, and residents of the borderlands communities. The relationship between border security and the humanitarian community is often tense and interdependent. In southern Arizona, local communities have become the playground for interactions between these groups. Southern Arizona seeks to balance securing the border and saving vulnerable lives, resulting in new strategies for aid groups. As border security and intensity has increased, the number of aid groups in the southern Arizona region has too. Within the counterpart communities, regular, friendly communication between border security and humanitarian aid groups has become crucial to the safety and daily function of local communities.

Copyright

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Recommended Citation

DiGerolamo, Teresa, "A World Between: The Macro and Micro-relationships that Shape the Borderlands" (2024). Honors Theses. 953.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/953