The “Thickening” of the US–Mexico Border: Prospects for Cross-Border Networking and Cooperation

Abstract

This article examines the effects of national border policy on cooperation and networking among local organizations in the US–Mexico borderlands. Structural and organizational factors are considered in order to build a conceptual model that explains the development of collaborative relations between public and nonpublic entities in a border context. The model explores three research questions. What factors define border organizations' level of engagement in collaborative networks? What determines the resilience of an organization participating in these networks? How does change in national policy toward the border affect cross-border cooperation and networking? Survey data collected from a sample of local organizations in a section of the US–Mexico border region is used to validate the model. Then, it is argue that policies enacted after 9/11 are “thickening” the border by creating new barriers to cooperation and, ultimately, diluting a form of social capital that is important for the region's long-term development. The model provides analytical avenues for future research in this area.

Notes

Border thickening, toughening, and tightening are metaphors used in recent studies to describe US border control policies emphasizing territorial vulnerabilities associated with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Although post-9/11 border policies affect both the Canadian and Mexican borders, the thickening has been more conspicuous on the US southern border (Andreas 2003).

Pairwise comparisons using the Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that there was no difference in the mean of perceived institutional change across sectoral groups or between organizations in San Diego or Tijuana.

In July 2010, Arizona's new immigration law (SB 1070) came into effect, but with the most controversial parts of the legislation under a preliminary injunction. If fully implemented, the law would authorize local police to ascertain the migration status of individuals they stop or detain while enforcing other laws and it would make it a state crime for immigrants to not have papers demonstrating legal status in the United States (http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf).