abstract: Following the implementation of federal immigration control measures in the 1990s, Arizona became the main point of entry for undocumented immigrants along the US border with Mexico in the early 2000s. Since then, reports have blamed human smuggling facilitators for the increase of undocumented immigration into the state and the apparent development of violent practices targeting the undocumented. However, little is known about the organization of the groups who work at facilitating the transit of undocumented immigrants along the US Mexico Border. Based on interviews and narratives present in legal files of smuggling cases prosecuted in Phoenix, Arizona, the present study provides an analysis of local human smuggling operations. It argues that far from being under the control of organized crime, smuggling is an income generating strategy of the poor that generates financial opportunities for community members in financial distress. The study, raises questions over smuggling's perceptions as violent and instead identifies smuggling-related violence as a reflection of the structural violence carried out by the state against immigrant communities through policing, surveillance and the consistent and systematic exercise of race-based policies. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Justice Studies 2011

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a salient public health issue along the U.S./Mexico border. This study seeks to identify the social and structural factors, which are associated with TB disease burden in the binational geographic region. Identification of barriers of treatment completion provides the necessary framework for developing evidence-based interventions that are culturally relevant and context specific for the U.S./Mexico border region. Methods: Retrospective study of data extracted from medical charts (n = 439) from Yuma County Health Department (YCHD) (n = 160) and Centro de Salud San Luis Rio Colorado (n = 279). Patients currently accessing TB treatment at either facility were excluded from the study. Chi-square, unadjusted odds ratios, and logistic regression were utilized to identify characteristics associated with successful TB treatment in this population. Findings: The study population was predominantly male (n = 327). Females were more likely to complete TB treatment (OR = 3.71). The absence of drug use and/or the absence of an HIV positive diagnosis were found to be predictors of TB treatment completion across both clinical sites. Forty-four percent (43.59%) (n = 85) TB patients treated at CDS San Luis did not complete treatment versus 40.35% (n = 49) of TB patients who did not complete treatment at YCHD. Moving from the area or being deported was the highest category (20.78%) for incomplete TB treatment in the population (n = 64) across both clinical sites.

Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To identify the pharmacy service needs of providers and staff at the San Luis Walk-In Clinic, and to evaluate whether the addition of a dispensing pharmacy to the clinic will benefit the community of San Luis. METHODS: Two focus groups were conducted with employees of the clinic: one with providers and another with supportive staff. Subjects discussed included major health issues at the clinic, where patients received health care products and information, barriers to receiving health care, beneficial pharmacy services and products, and the role of pharmacists in health care. Data was collected regarding whether participants were providers or staff members and whether they lived within or outside of San Luis. These sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for recurrent themes and patterns. RESULTS: The first focus group consisted of three providers, one of whom was living within San Luis, and the second group was comprised of six supportive staff members, five of whom were from the community. In regards to pharmacy service needs, providers cited medication management, patient education, and treatment recommendations as beneficial resources. Both groups identified the top four major health problems seen in their clinic as hypertension, diabetes, allergies, and dyslipidemia, and barriers to adequate healthcare included financial issues, time constraints, transportation, and lack of education. CONCLUSION: There is a need for pharmacy services, including medication therapy management and disease state education, at the San Luis Walk-In Clinic. This need likely extends to many rural communities throughout the nation.

The terrorist attacks upon the United States of America, as perpetrated by Al Qaeda operatives on September 11, 2001, has resulted in profound changes of policy and_ action in Washington. The blissful ignorance of many was awaken to the shattering reality of the threat from unconventional warfare at the hands of extremist organizations. The following review and analysis of terrorism at the U.S.-Mexico border seeks to assess the threat on a more personal basis. All too often we associate terrorism with the Middle East and Asia, not coming to grips with realities faced close to home on a daily basis. The terrorist acts of violence by both criminal and religious extremist groups are resulting in a massive loss of life throughout the world. This paper seeks to address those acts of terror and violence on our southern border. While international terrorist groups have yet to succeed in another attack on American soil, many experts believe that it is now only a matter of time.

Mexican immigrant women are a vulnerable population group in the U.S., and face challenges as a result of the nation’s anti-immigrant landscape. To help Mexican immigrant women cope with these realities, scholars have proposed the implementation of social support interventions. Yet only two studies have executed social support interventions for immigrant women. Those tailored specifically for Mexican immigrant women are nonexistent. To address this gap, this Master's thesis piloted the first social support intervention for Mexican immigrant women in the U.S. The purpose was to assess the impact of a social support intervention on the perceived social support for Mexican immigrant women. The study (1) surveyed Mexican immigrant women's current perceived social support, (2) investigated whether engaging in a social support intervention could improve Mexican immigrant women's perceived social support, and (3) explored (through the use of a foto novela) the elements (e.g., persons, places) Mexican immigrant women consider to be most important sources of social support in their lives. Surveys were administered pre- and post-intervention assessing perceived social support using three Likert-type scales. At pre-intervention, perceived social support was moderately high. A difference in perceived social support at post-intervention was observed, but without significance. This work adds to the small body of literature on social support interventions for Mexican immigrant women, and has important implications for future interventions and research. This work also documents the use of foto novelas – an innovative tool to engage with (and give a voice to) Mexican immigrant women. Future work should consider the use of foto novelas, as these amplify new understandings of social support, and capture (through the use of photographs) Mexican immigrant women’s own interpretation of social support.

This paper addresses how food systems and transboundary food supply chains are mediated and shaped by (cross-) cultural and geopolitical borders that function as selective filters. We focus on the ways in which the political boundary in a formerly cohesive foodshed generates "edge effects" that affect (1) food safety, and (2) food waste, particularly in desert communities adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border. We hypothesize that as these various boundary lines get "out of register" with one another, their dissonance creates both unexpected impacts as well as opportunities for positive change. This initial analysis demonstrates how multiple (and often permeable) social, economic, and ecological edges intersect with food supply chain vulnerabilities and economic opportunities at the border. Drawing on examples from food safety and food waste surrounding the "Ambos Nogales" port of entry on the Arizona-Sonora border, we document the ways in which the border produces ecological and social edge effects that are dissonant with the official legal boundary.

A questão da securitização das migrações, enquanto problema de pesquisa, surgiu no contexto dos debates acerca da ampliação do conceito de segurança que tomou corpo no pós-Guerra Fria, dadas as grandes transformações que se sucederam a este evento-chave da política internacional contemporânea. No caso da fronteira Estados Unidos-México, este é um fenômeno que, de fato, pode ser observado desde o final dos anos 1970, tendo atingido o seu ápice no pós-Onze de Setembro. A partir deste cenário, o objetivo do presente trabalho de pesquisa é o de analisar a dinâmica da securitização dos fluxos migratórios no contexto da fronteira Estados Unidos-México; em especial, o caso dos imigrantes indocumentados, que são o alvo primário das práticas securitizantes. Para tanto, será empregado o ferramental teórico desenvolvido pela Escola de Copenhague; em especial, a teoria de securitização e o conceito de segurança societal. Ao final, buscar-se-á problematizar a questão, tendo-se em vista as reflexões desenvolvidas ao longo do trabalho, bem como avaliar as possibilidades de desenvolvimento da mesma, assumindo como pressuposto que o ideal seria a progressiva desecuritização do tema e a adoção de uma política migratória, por parte dos EUA, mais moderna, pragmática e humana, e que a questão da segurança fosse tratada separadamente, considerando a questão migratória mas sem elevá-la ao nível do excepcional, que é o que justifica a securitização, a qual tem um enorme potencial para gerar, nesta seara, graves consequências de caráter humanitário. / The securitization of migrations issue as a research problem has arisen in the context of the debates on broadening the concept of security in the post-Cold War era, taking in consideration the significant changes that followed this key-event in the contemporary international politics. In the case of the United States-Mexico border, this is a phenomenon that, in fact, can be observed since the late 1970s, having reached its apex in the post-09/11. In this scenario, the aim of the current research work is to assess the dynamics of the securitization of migrations flows in the context of the United States-Mexico border; mainly, the case of the undocumented immigrants, who are the primary targets of the securitization practices. Theoretical methodology developed by the Copenhagen School; mainly the securitization theory and the concept of societal security, will be utilized as assessment tools in the current research work. At the end, the objective will be to problematize the question, taking in consideration the reflections raised during the research work, as well as evaluating the development possibilities, assuming as an ideal scenario the progressive desecuritization and the adoption of a more modern, pragmatic, and human migratory policy by the United States; and that the security issue be treated separately, considering the migratory issue but without elevating it to the exceptional level, which justifies the securitization, and has an enormous potential of generating severe humanitarian consequences in this field.

A questão da securitização das migrações, enquanto problema de pesquisa, surgiu no contexto dos debates acerca da ampliação do conceito de segurança que tomou corpo no pós-Guerra Fria, dadas as grandes transformações que se sucederam a este evento-chave da política internacional contemporânea. No caso da fronteira Estados Unidos-México, este é um fenômeno que, de fato, pode ser observado desde o final dos anos 1970, tendo atingido o seu ápice no pós-Onze de Setembro. A partir deste cenário, o objetivo do presente trabalho de pesquisa é o de analisar a dinâmica da securitização dos fluxos migratórios no contexto da fronteira Estados Unidos-México; em especial, o caso dos imigrantes indocumentados, que são o alvo primário das práticas securitizantes. Para tanto, será empregado o ferramental teórico desenvolvido pela Escola de Copenhague; em especial, a teoria de securitização e o conceito de segurança societal. Ao final, buscar-se-á problematizar a questão, tendo-se em vista as reflexões desenvolvidas ao longo do trabalho, bem como avaliar as possibilidades de desenvolvimento da mesma, assumindo como pressuposto que o ideal seria a progressiva desecuritização do tema e a adoção de uma política migratória, por parte dos EUA, mais moderna, pragmática e humana, e que a questão da segurança fosse tratada separadamente, considerando a questão migratória mas sem elevá-la ao nível do excepcional, que é o que justifica a securitização, a qual tem um enorme potencial para gerar, nesta seara, graves consequências de caráter humanitário. / The securitization of migrations issue as a research problem has arisen in the context of the debates on broadening the concept of security in the post-Cold War era, taking in consideration the significant changes that followed this key-event in the contemporary international politics. In the case of the United States-Mexico border, this is a phenomenon that, in fact, can be observed since the late 1970s, having reached its apex in the post-09/11. In this scenario, the aim of the current research work is to assess the dynamics of the securitization of migrations flows in the context of the United States-Mexico border; mainly, the case of the undocumented immigrants, who are the primary targets of the securitization practices. Theoretical methodology developed by the Copenhagen School; mainly the securitization theory and the concept of societal security, will be utilized as assessment tools in the current research work. At the end, the objective will be to problematize the question, taking in consideration the reflections raised during the research work, as well as evaluating the development possibilities, assuming as an ideal scenario the progressive desecuritization and the adoption of a more modern, pragmatic, and human migratory policy by the United States; and that the security issue be treated separately, considering the migratory issue but without elevating it to the exceptional level, which justifies the securitization, and has an enormous potential of generating severe humanitarian consequences in this field.

This dissertation examines an important, but understudied period in Mexican-U.S. migration history during the 1940s and early 1950s. The joint introduction and sanctioning, by the U.S. and Mexican governments, of the bracero program also initiated a large illegal migration of agricultural workers to the United States. This was a period characterized by high levels of temporary legal migration and illegal migration, as well as intense levels of immigration enforcement. These simultaneous processes confound a simplistic view of U.S. history as a sequence of alternating periods of immigration expansion and restriction. U.S. immigration law and policy does not resemble a pendulum swinging first one way then the other; rather, both expansion and restriction characterized the 1940s and early 1950s. This study focuses on South Texas and El Paso, both border regions with dominant agricultural economies as well as a significant presence of Border Patrol officers. By focusing on these border regions, this dissertation examines the relationship between immigration laws and policy and the agricultural labor relations between growers and workers on the ground. This dissertation is concerned with state formation on the U.S.-Mexico border, and its relationship with labor mobility. The process of state and border formation did not originate in the central seats of federal authority, Washington, D.C., and Mexico City, to be applied and exerted on the furthest reaches of their territories. Growers and workers created, negotiated, and experienced and challenged the power and meaning of the border in the agricultural fields during daily interactions. Individual Border Patrolman made the border every day in the choices they made about where and where not to patrol, and which friendships to make and maintain. The border was simultaneously a federal and a local space. As the introductory anecdote suggested, the different sites of power were continually at work and intertwined. The Border Patrol did not have to be present to have an effect on the power dynamics in the moment. These interconnecting authorities, each shaping the other, and workers negotiations of such dynamics are what I term the social space of agriculture on the border. Growers often projected themselves in opposition to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and government intervention, arguing that it disrupted their access to Mexican laborers. In truth, the presence of the Border Patrol, and the threat of deportation the police force carried, was crucial in shaping the social space of agricultural production and securing growers’ undocumented labor force. / text

Background: Mexican-American women are a burgeoning population and are at increased risk for heart disease. However, there are no studies published yet describing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms unique to this Hispanic subgroup. Aims: Guided by vulnerability theory, the aims were to describe Mexican-American women's perceptions of the AMI symptom experience and to measure their self-reported acute and prodromal MI symptoms. Methods: A convenience sample of eight Mexican-American women mean age 63 years (range 41-78 years) with recent AMI from the U.S.-Mexico border region participated in a semi-structured interview and completed the McSweeney Acute and Prodromal Myocardial Infarction Symptom Survey (MAPMISS). Qualitative description was used to analyze codes from interview data and descriptive statistics to analyze the MAPMISS responses. Results: Mexican-American women's symptom experience was incongruent with what they knew to be symptoms of a heart attack. They attributed AMI symptoms to non-cardiac causes and did not think they were having an MI. Women self-managed symptoms and delayed seeking health care until symptoms became severe. "Asphyxiatia" (asphyxiating) and "menos fuerza" (less strength) were the most commonly described symptoms in the interviews. On the MAPMISS, Mexican-American women reported a mean of 11.25 (range 5-22) acute and 8.75 (range 0-17) prodromal symptoms. Sleep disturbance and weakness and nausea were the most frequently reported prodromal and acute symptoms, respectively, as measured by MAPMISS. Prodromal leg pain was reported with more frequency than prodromal general chest pain. Conclusions: Delays in seeking health services by Mexican-American women in the U.S.-Mexico border region reflect (1) the difference in their actual MI symptoms compared to preconceived ideas of a heart attack, (2) different terms used to describe their MI symptoms, and (3) not initiating healthcare services themselves. These findings can be used to inform Mexican-American women and healthcare providers in the U.S.-Mexico border region about the unique experiences of Mexican-American women. The findings that participants were not able to recognize or attribute their AMI symptoms suggest that heart health education should be tailored to Mexican-American women and targeted to Mexican-American families and communities.