In this paper I discuss some of the findings in my study of the encounters between female migrants and immigration
enforcement authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border. An objective of the research is to ascertain a more accurate picture of
women temporarily suspended in the “intersection” of diametrically opposed processes: immigration enforcement and
transnational mobility. Of the many issues that have emerged from this research, family separation is most palpable. This
suggests a deeply entrenched relationship between immigration enforcement and the transnationalization of family ties. While this relationship may at first not be obvious, women’s accounts of family separation and family reunification show how, in reconciling these contradictory tendencies, migrant mobility is strengthened, which in turn challenges enforcement measures. In this way, the intersection not only sheds light on how opposing forces (enforcement and mobility) converge but also how each is contingent on the other. This analysis is possible in part through the use of a conceptual intersection of diametrically opposed forces, border enforcement and transnational movement, and thus proves useful in examining the transformative nature of globalized spaces.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/219214 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | O'Leary, Anna Ochoa |
| Contributors | University of Arizona, Mexican American Studies and Research Center |
| Publisher | University of Arizona, Mexican American Studies and Research Center |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Book |
| Rights | The MASRC Working Paper Series © The Arizona Board of Regents |
| Relation | MASRC Working Paper Series; 34, http://mas.arizona.edu/node/658 |
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