Over the summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer for a non-profit organization in California called CHIRLA (Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles). My involvement with this organization has opened my eyes to the reality of the current immigration problem between the United States and Mexico. So much disparity is evident along the border. On one side stands the United States- a hegemonic country that encompasses a stable economy, well-built infrastructures, and political clout. On the southern side of the border stands Mexico- a country that has suffered from the lack of development and years of economic crisis. How can two countries, separated by only a border, be so different in their political, social, and economical features? This question has ignited my interest in researching the relations between Mexico and the United States, as their close geographical relationship has significant implications on their economic, political, and social settings. Recent concerns about U.S.-Mexico relations have escalated, as the issue of illegal immigration has made its way to the priority list of both Mexican and American political leaders. Never before has the concern to end drug trafficking and to decrease the number of illegal immigrants seemed to have been so publicly scrutinized. The international community has also been giving more attention to violation of human rights in developing countries, specifically in the labor sector. Relations between the United States and its close neighbor, Mexico, will continue to exist and deeply impact both countries and their populations. Policy choices and economic decisions will be affected, as well as people's lives--creating a sensitive environment that may be vulnerable to conflict. However, it is undeniable that the United States needs Mexico as much as Mexico needs the United States. U.S.-Mexico relations will only continue to be affected by illegal immigration, human rights violations, and drug trafficking. The time is now to strengthen our relations with our neighbor in order to build a unified force against the dangers lurking on both sides of the border. The U.S.-Mexico border covers 2,000 miles, encompassing four American and six Mexican states. Over the years, the relationship between the two countries has become one of strong interdependence. My thesis will explore the deep connections between the economies and societies of the United States and Mexico. Regardless of the disagreements and challenges they encountered, the U.S. and Mexico indeed share a history. This history connects both nations, inevitably making one dependent on the other. The United States heavily relies on other countries for resources, especially from its neighboring country. However, the dependence of Mexico on the United States is much higher. The United States, being a world power, undoubtedly has an economic advantage over Mexico, a country that continues to suffer from domestic political and economic problems. My thesis will introduce the current political, social, and economical state of Mexico and how it is being affected by its relationship with the United States. My. argument is that even though Mexico continues to demonstrate cooperation at the border, problems with income inequality, illegal immigration, illegal drugs, and human rights violations will still remain a crucial setback in the relationship between United States and Mexico.

Cette recherche étudie la clandestinité de migrants sans autorisation de séjour dans la métropole. Son objectif est de rendre compte de la condition clandestine dans la métropole au début du XXIe siècle, mais aussi de montrer ses incidences et d'expliquer son émergence et sa perpétuation. Pour atteindre l'objectif, une enquête de terrain - soit des entretiens et des observations réalisés auprès des migrants clandestins thaïlandais résidant dans Paris et sa banlieue et des personnes au contact d'eux - a été menée. L'enquête permet, en premier lieu, de caractériser la condition clandestine par les situations d'invisibilité, d'insécurité et carcérales. Elle montre, en second lieu, que la condition clandestine dessine des caractéristiques propres aux personnalités clandestines : la mélancolie, la peur, la réserve et la discrétion, mais aussi la fierté. De plus, l'une des spécificités des clandestins, construite par la condition clandestine, est qu'ils souhaitent finir par retourner dans la société d'origine car ils ne s'intègrent pas dans la société d'accueil. L'enquête sert, en troisième lieu, à cerner les contextes, processus ou conditions qui génèrent, maintiennent et perpétuent la condition clandestine. Ce qui amène à formuler cette thèse : la condition clandestine existe dans le cadre du compromis clandestin, soit l'ensemble des accords explicites et implicites entre les employeurs, les bailleurs et les clandestins autour de l'assistance sociale et de l'impossibilité des pouvoirs publics de contrôler ou de régulariser tous les clandestins. Le compromis clandestin est le processus qui produit, maintient et perpétue la clandestinité. La métropole est propice à la clandestinité car elle constitue un lieu d'échappatoire au contrôle et un grand marché de travail et de logement clandestin. / This research studies the clandestinity of migrants without authorization of residence in metropolis. Its objective is to report the clandestine condition in the metropolis of the beginning of the 21st century, but also to show its impact and explain its emergence and perpetuation. To achieve the objective, a fieldwork - interviews and observations made with Thai illegal migrants residing in Paris and its suburbs and people in contact with them - was carried out. The survey makes it possible, in the first place, to characterize the clandestine condition by situations of invisibility, insecurity and incarcerated. It shows, secondly, that the clandestine condition draws these characteristics of clandestine personalities : melancholy, fear, reserve and discretion, but also pride. Moreover, another specificity of illegal migrants, built up by the clandestine condition, is they wish to end up returning to society of origin because they do not integrate into host society. Thirdly, the survey serves to identify the contexts, processes or conditions that generate, maintain and perpetuate clandestine condition. This leads to the formulation of this thesis: clandestine condition exists within the framework of the clandestine compromise, that is to say of the explicit and implicit agreements between employers, landlord and illegal migrants around social assistance and the impossibility of powers control or regularization of all illegal migrants. The clandestine compromise is the process that produces, maintains and perpetuates the clandestinity. The metropolis is conducive to clandestinity because it constitutes a place of escape from control and a large market for work and clandestine housing.

In Sweden, children residing in the country without a permit has had access to schooling since 2013. Yet, only a few people have taken the time to do research on the topic and evaluate the policy change that gave these children right to attend elementary and upper secondary school. This essay adopts an administrative politics-perspective to evaluate their schooling based on a goal-fulfilment criterion. The goals are then used as a reference with which to compare the real policy effects. To gather information about the policy effects, six interviews were performed with centrally given actors within Uppsala municipality, Sweden. The first goal of reference in this thesis is presented in Swedish school law and government bill; all children shall have access to basic schooling. The second goal of reference is that these children’s education should be equivalent to that of other children in the country. This means that they have should have access to the school resources necessary for them to fully participate in their education. Generally, one can see that the achievement of these goals is questionable in Uppsala municipality. This result can also be generalised to a nation-level, with the help of the Swedish School Inspectorate, and thus demonstrating that the issues with the goal fulfilment in Uppsala municipality is strongly dependent on the lack of effective nationally stipulated measures and strategies.