How can Mexican migrants reduce the risk of being abandoned by smugglers while clandestinely crossing the US–Mexico border?

Abstract

This article analyzes the abandonments of Mexican migrants by their smugglers while crossing clandestinely the US–Mexico border. Drawing on the Emif-Norte survey, we examine the diversity of forms of abandonments and their adverse impacts to migrants while crossing the border; we discuss the agency capacity of migrants to anticipate and control the migration process in order to manage the risks of clandestine travel; and we use a logistic regression model to analyze the role played by the selection of the smuggler and the physical fitness of migrants in the risk of migrants to be abandoned by smugglers. Our findings suggest the presence of migrants with profiles vulnerable to abandonment (i.e. women, not having previous migration experience to the USA, hiring smugglers in border towns, or paying low smuggler fees), and preventive and protective strategies to reduce such risk (i.e. hiring smugglers in the place of origin, physical training prior to the journey or traveling accompanied by family members and friends), which are within the reach of some migrants more than others.

Robbery victimization of Mexican migrants while crossing the border

“…In regard to hiring a coyote, migrants who hired a coyote while in transit to the border or at the border have 78.8% higher odds of being robbed or assaulted relative to those who did not hire a coyote (p < 0.01). This result is consistent with the literature that indicates that the way coyotes are hired at the border increases the risk of hiring fake coyotes and coyotes in collusion with crime in border regions (Hernández Campos & Torre Cantalapiedra, 2022;Izcara Palacios, 2017;Zazueta, 1983). On the other hand, contrary to expectations, the hiring of coyotes in the place of origin, which involves to a greater extent relying on the social networks of migrants, is not a protective factor to experience robbery or assault compared to not hiring a coyote, which means that migrants who use coyotes from the interior and those who travel without a coyote consistently face similar levels of risk of robbery or assault while the crossing the border.…”

“…routes, use of a coyote ). The different risks faced by migrants has been studied in the literature, including the social risks and natural hazards incurred by young migrants (París Pombo, 2012); the abandonment of migrants by coyotes and the prevalence of robberies and assaults (Hernández Campos & Torre Cantalapiedra, 2022; Torre Cantalapiedra & Hernández Campos, 2021); as well as the risks of verbal and physical abuse perpetrated by immigration authorities (Orraca Romano & Corona Villavicencio, 2014).…”

“…Although travelling with both types of coyotes is not without risk, it would be expected that going to the border coyotes exposes them to greater dangers than those hired in the interior (Hernández Campos & Torre Cantalapiedra, 2022).…”

“…Border coyotes are those that are hired at the border and about which migrants do not usually have references, while coyotes in the interior are those that are contacted from the interior and that would be associated with a greater use of social capital (Martínez, 2015). Although travelling with both types of coyotes is not without risk, it would be expected that going to the border coyotes exposes them to greater dangers than those hired in the interior (Hernández Campos & Torre Cantalapiedra, 2022). When people go to the border to hire coyotes , it is more likely to end up with a false coyote or a coyote with little experience, since there are fewer indications of the quality of their services than in the case of coyotes hired from the community of origin.…”

Los solicitantes de asilo durante el gobierno de Joe Biden: caos en la frontera México-Estados Unidos

“…Por más de tres décadas los sucesivos gobiernos de Estados Unidos han incrementado sus esfuerzos por tomar el control de sus fronteras con México e impedir los cruces irregulares, sobre todo, a través de la militarización de esta (Dunn, 2009). Así, los diversos operativos y medios dedicados a detener y disuadir los cruces irregulares en varios tramos de la frontera han conducido a los migrantes a zonas más riesgosas para la vida e integridad física de los migrantes, así como recurrir en mayor medida a los coyotes para que les faciliten los cruces clandestinos (Hernández Campos y Torre Cantalapiedra, 2022). Adicionalmente, en los últimos años, no todos los flujos que se han pretendido reducir son los irregulares, las autoridades estadounidenses han empleado políticas para disuadir a quienes llegan hasta su territorio en busca de alguna forma de protección internacional, como son los solicitantes de asilo.…”