The Paradoxes of Im/Mobility in Central American Transit Migration in Mexico
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The Paradoxes of Im/mobility in Central American Transit Migration in Mexico Heather Wurtz Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2021 © 2021 Heather Wurtz All Rights Reserved Abstract The Paradoxes of Im/mobility in Central American Transit Migration in Mexico Heather Wurtz This study examines the various ways that Central American migrants traversing Mexico’s southern border interpret, negotiate, and resist conditions of immobilization imposed by state refugee policy and other institutional impediments to northbound movement. My findings are informed by 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Tapachula, Chiapas, followed by an additional six, non-consecutive weeks in various sites of transit across Mexico as a Human Rights Observer in the migrant caravans of 2017 and 2018. Since 2011, as a result of increasing rates of violence, flows of Central American women, youth, and families across Mexico’s southern border have risen substantially. In efforts to curb northbound movement, the US has exerted significant pressure for the Mexican government to assume a greater role in the retention, organization, and deterrence of prospective refugee populations, resulting in the temporary resettlement along the southern border of thousands of migrants seeking international protection. Many of these migrants find themselves in a liminal space of legal and social uncertainty in which they must contend with a range of limitations and distinct possibilities as they consider their ongoing trajectories. Through close attention to the social worlds that emerge around and within migrants’ transit communities, I explore central themes related to the existentiality of im/mobility, gendered experiences of transit migration, the paradoxes of institutional practices of refugee protection within predominant transit zones, and diverse forms of resilience and coping that are given breadth through collective travel. Ultimately, I argue that it is critical to explore the narratives and lived realities of those most affected by migration-centered policy and discourse, and to recognize the critical role that migrants play in challenging and reimagining the terms of their in/exclusion. Table of Contents List of Maps, Tables, and Photos .................................................................................................... ii Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Theorizing Im/mobility and Migration in an Age of Precarity ................................... 40 Chapter 2: The “Paradox” of Protection ....................................................................................... 73 Chapter 3: Waiting Out the Crisis ............................................................................................... 114 Chapter 4: A Movement in Motion ............................................................................................. 141 Chapter 5: Rewriting Mobility Imaginaries ................................................................................ 173 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 212 References ................................................................................................................................... 229 Endnotes………………………………………………………………………………………248 i List of Maps, Tables, and Photos Figure One: Map of Mexico …………………………………………………………………...5 Figure Two: Photograph of river crossing, Miguel Hidalgo, Chiapas………………………..18 Figure Three: Photograph of migrant caravan in Tapachula, Chiapas……………………....142 Figure Four: Map of migrant caravan trajectory…………………………………………….148 Figure Five: Photographs from the 2017 and 2018 migrant caravans……………………….163 Figure Six: Photograph of memorial to Roxanne……………………………………………208 ii Abbreviations ACNUR Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiado [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)] CDH Fray Matías Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova, AC [Fray Matías de Córdova Center for Human Rights, AC] CNDH Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos [National Human Rights Committee of Mexico] COMAR Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados [Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid] DFS Diversidad Sin Fronteras [Diversity Without Borders Trans Gay Migrant Caravan] DIF El Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia [National System for Integral Family Development] ICE United States Immigrant Customs and Enforcement agency INM Instituto Nacional de Migración [National Migration Institute of Mexico] PSF Pueblo Sin Fronteras [People Without Borders] TQLM La Familia Trans and Queer Liberation Movement (TQLM) iii Acknowledgments My doctoral career has been a long and arduous journey that I could not have completed without the invaluable support of all those who have accompanied me along the way. First of all, I am profoundly indebted to my sponsor, Lesley Sharp. Learning to navigate the unsteady waters of dissertation research is not an easy task; it takes perseverance, patience, and a fair amount of improvisation to manage the unpredictable twists and turns that life takes us down – lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom, but must be lived in the flesh. Lesley was with me every step of the way; she taught me to trust myself and to stay true to the story that I wanted to tell, no matter how many roadblocks I encounter and had to overcome. Her exemplary model of what it means to be an exceptional scholar and mentor will undoubtedly continue to shape my professional trajectory for many years to come. I would also like to extend special recognition and gratitude to other mentors who have played an important role in my intellectual and professional development. Jennifer Hirsch has had my back from day one. I firmly believe that without her support I would not be where I am, today. She taught me that a career in research is a marathon, not a sprint, so best make it work in accord with other important life goals and to try to enjoy yourself along the way. Kim Hopper taught me to never stop asking the hard questions and has also shown me the incredible value of continuous curiosity. I am grateful to Zoe Wool and Alyshia Gálvez for their insightful feedback on this work and for encouraging me to continue to push the critical edge of my analyses as I begin to contemplate next steps beyond the dissertation. I would also like to thank Connie Nathanson, Morgan Philbin, Goleen Samari, Sarah Willen, and Katherine Mason for their ongoing mentorship and support, and for their inspiration to me as both strong female scholars and exceptionally kind human beings. iv I am deeply grateful to all of the friends and colleagues who have truly kept me afloat over the course of the doctoral program, including Nancy Worthington, Laura Murray, Ronna Popkin, Yoav Vardy, Emily Vasquez, Amy Dao, Caroline Parker, Melissa Wise, Jessica Perley, and especially my “cohort sisters” Caitlin McMahon, Brennan Rhodes-Bratton, and Ijeoma Kola. From the tireless hours hung over our computers in university libraries, to happy hour “apps and margs,” to the times you invited me into your homes to meet your families and share meals, you have been a home away from home to me and a constant source of guidance, inspiration, solidarity and joy. I am also forever indebted to the individuals who I met in Tapachula, and beyond, during my dissertation fieldwork. Cristobal Sánchez Sánchez, Enrique Coraza de los Santos, Paola Alcalá Almeida, Amelia Frank-Vitale, Elena Alderman, Elisabet Monzón Gálvez, Cindy Gonzalez Malo and the entire Díaz family deserve special recognition for their intellectual support and invaluable friendship, as do many of the organizers and caravaneros of the migrant caravans for being such an important part of my own journey with mobility. I never could have embarked on such a challenging, yet awe-inspiring, trek without the support of Andy Bahena and Martha Balaguera. In addition, words cannot express the gratitude I have for all of the migrant men, women, and families who made this research possible. They shared their stories with me; they opened their homes and their hearts; and through them, and with them, I have gained a new understanding of the fortitude of the human spirit. I am forever changed by the time that I spent with them and hope that I can, in return, do justice to all that they have shared with me. Finally, I am most indebted to my family, who has been my constant rock and shelter. Thank you to Ryan Wurtz, Jenny DeDecker and the whole DeDecker family – we have created so many memories over the years filled with so many laughs, tears, and everything in between. I would be lost without you! Thank you to my husband, Hugo Alan Hernández Ponce, and our v daughter, Luna Marie – les amo con todo mi vida hasta el planeta más lejano del universo (a pasos de hormiguita). And, to my parents, Tim and Karen Wurtz, to whom this is dedicated. Your constant encouragement and unwavering support have carried