Human Smuggling And Border Crossings (Routledge Studies In Criminal Justice, Borders And Citizenship)

Graphic narratives of tragedies involving the journeys of irregular migrants trying to reach destinations abroad are common in the media and are blamed almost invariably on human smuggling facilitators, described as rapacious members of highly structured underground transnational criminal organizations, who take advantage of migrants and prey upon their vulnerability. This book questions these assumptions and asks: who are the men and women behind the journeys of irregular migrants worldwide? How and why do they enter the human smuggling market? How are they organized? How do they understand their roles in the process of transnational migration? How do they explain the violence and victimization so many migrants face while in transit? This book contributes to the current scholarship on migration by proving a window into the lives and experiences of those behind the facilitation of irregular border crossing journeys. Based on fieldwork conducted among coyotes in Arizona - the main point of entry for irregular migrants in the United States by the turn of the 21st Century - this project goes beyond traditional narratives of victimization and financial exploitation. The testimonies of the men and women involved in smuggling reveal nuanced understandings of protection and support, smuggling's role in fostering community ties, and its changing nature in light of border and immigration enforcement. The book will be suitable for students and academics involved in the study of crime and trafficking, as well as sociologists interested in citizenship and migration.

• | Author: Gabriella E. Sanchez
• | Publisher: Routledge
• | Publication Date: Nov 07, 2014
• | Number of Pages: 146 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 0415703611
• | ISBN-13: 9780415703611