Frontier Mexico – United States

The border in the collective imaginary

“The Nothern Border has, for a long time, a significate place in the collective imaginary of the Mexican people. Nevertheless it is inevitable that its image has changed as the risks in crossing it have intensified. That is how today the image of this Northern Border is that of walls of iron, barbed wired, trucks with sirens, helicopters, armed personnel, and trained dogs. Of course this isn’t the picture one might have of a good neighbor, let alone a friendly ‘business partner’. Without any minimal cringe, the United States government, in its attempt at justifying a gruesome image, resorted to the practice of associating immigrants with drug trade, delinquency, and terrorism.” (Márquez, 2003, 7)

The toughening of border control

“United States’ immediate response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was to close its borders and air space. When they opened again it was under a new context: growing and stricter border control and political discourse centered on protecting its national security. Before these attacks there seemed to be an ample consensus about the reality that ‘globalization’ would render borders moot, increasing economic integration and interdependency leading to more open borders was taken for granted. What was happening was as follows: from diverse analytic point of views and for public policy priorities the efforts to re-conceptualize borders and their meaning were taking a prominent place.” (Alba y Leite, 2004, 14)