Prevention Through Deterrence

The Guiding Strategy of U.S. Immigration Enforcement

By Casey Ticsay

“Prevention Through Deterrence: The Guiding Strategy of U.S. Immigration Enforcement” was published in El Tecolote, a biweekly publication based in San Francisco’s Mission District, and the longest running Spanish/English bilingual newspaper in California.

The criminalization of migration, the detainment of undocumented bodies, and the militarization of artificial borders have become normalized pillars of U.S. immigration enforcement. Guided by deterrence theory, policymakers across the political spectrum continue to pen “bi-partisan” legislation designed to control migration despite the human and moral costs. 

In 1994, Bill Clinton implemented a strategy of “control through deterrence” that systematically fortified the U.S.-Mexico border region, thus laying the foundation for future militarization efforts. This aggressive enforcement method ushered in the construction of miles of fencing, increased border patrol personnel and surveillance technology, and funneled migration flows out of border cities and into more hostile and remote terrain.

Military-style operations such as Hold the Line at El Paso, Gatekeeper in San Diego, and Safeguard in Arizona violently transformed the southern border, using mountains, deserts, lakes, rivers, and valleys as “natural barriers to passage.” The impacts were devastating and continue to be so two decades later. 

Read the full article HERE!