Mobility Control Regime and Clandestine Practices in the US-Mexico Border

The US-Mexican border is an emblematic case of a highly controlled border in the Latin America context. This chapter analyzes two sides of the border regime: on one side a place where surveillance and mobility control become crucial for the sovereignty of nation-states, and the other side a place where clandestine practices are expressions of border processes. The chapter begins with a theoretical discussion of two elements of the human mobility regime: border control and clandestine practices. The chapter then analyzes the clandestine practices of four sorts of mobilities in the Mexico-US region: commuters, long-distance migrants, asylum seekers, and drug smugglers. Analysis of these multiple spheres and forms of autonomous clandestine practices points out different meanings attributed to the border’s constitution by human mobility. It also reveals a rich, yet precarious variety of border practices in the US-Mexican region, far removed from the official narratives.