Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement Programs and Security on the US-Mexico Border
March 26, 2015
Do US border enforcement policies effectively deter unauthorized entries?
A new study, “In Harm’s Way: Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement Programs and Security on the US-Mexico Border,” published in CMS’s Journal of Migration and Human Security, concludes that these programs do not have a strong deterrent effect. The authors — Jeremy Slack, Daniel E. Martínez, Scott Whiteford and Emily Peiffer — present findings from the Migrant Border Crossing Study, a random sample survey of 1,100 recently deported migrants in six cities in Mexico conducted between 2009 and 2012. They examine the demographics and family ties of deportees, their experiences with immigration enforcement practices and programs under the Consequence Delivery System (CDS) and how CDS enforcement strategies have reshaped migration and deportation along the US-Mexico border.