(Re)framing the emerging mobility regime at the U.S.-Mexico borderlands: Covid-19, temporality, and racial capitalism

Abstract

In this paper, we examine transborder commuters’ experiences (i.e. individuals who commute between U.S. and Mexican border cities frequently) during the Covid-19 pandemic, with keen attention to the links between racial capitalism and temporality. We address two interrelated issues: first, we unpack how the United States framed the pandemic through the metaphor of war and the production of the categories of ‘essential work(er)’ and ‘essential travel’ to ensure racial capitalism’s surplus labor and continuation. These categories function like a double-edged sword, tying racialized populations to racial capitalism’s temporality to exploit them while excluding privileged others. We argue that Covid-19’s temporality conflicts with racial capitalism’s temporality. While the former relies on the deceleration of everyday life, the latter depends on constant acceleration driven by profit-seeking. Using queer and feminist theoretical lenses, we then demonstrate how U.S. Covid-19 border restrictions at land ports of entry exacerbated transborder commuters’ cross-border travels and privileged some based on legal status. As a result, they used public Facebook groups to navigate and comprehend new commuting conditions, disidentifying with the United States’ official pandemic framing and producing their own. This shared experience catalyzed ‘digital transborder kinships’ or temporally-bound socialities rooted in relational care, advocacy, and knowledge production.

Keywords:

• Covid-19
• racial capitalism
• mobility regimes
• temporality
• U.S.-Mexico border
• queer theory

Notes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 These are individuals who reside in a Mexican border city but who work, attend school, or conduct other daily activities in a U.S. border city.

2 See the following factsheet for more information on Title 42: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/guide-title-42-expulsions-border

3 In general, there is little quantitative data on transborder commuters. This is especially the case for the Ciudad Juarez-El Paso border region. However, the region’s occupation trends should be like that of its Californian counterpart.

4 According to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular affairs, eligible Mexican citizens can apply for a BCC for business or tourist related travel in the United States. It functions as both a B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visitor’s visa and prohibits travel for study or employment, among other things. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/border-crossing-card.html

5 For more information on this document: https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid-19

6 The rule can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/24/2020-06253/notification-of-temporary-travel-restrictions-applicable-to-land-ports-of-entry-and-ferries-service

7 Donald J. Trump, ‘President Trump speaks at the US-Mexico border wall near Alamo, Texas,’ streamed live on January 12, 2021, YouTube video, 38:55, https://youtu.be/_czjiN1wEhg.