Migration Policies in a Context of Globalization: the case of Mexico and the United States

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze, under the context of globalization, the process of migration from Mexico to the United States and the implementation of North American migration policies. A thorough methodological bibliographic review of scientific published articles by recognized authors is made, from this; an analytical discussion is presented of the measures taken by Mexico and the United States as part of implemented strategies to curb the migration of Mexicans and Central Americans to the United States. In the current process of globalization, one of whose main expressions, in the case of Mexico, was the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (1993). It was expected that, through this process, more commercial exchanges would be generated, as well as more and better jobs; nonetheless, this process also gave rise to a series of American anti-immigrant immigration policies. In face of the avalanche of migrant caravans from Central American countries, former President Donald J. Trump threatened to raise tariffs and agreed with president Manuel López Obrador, during 2018, to control borders to prevent many Central Americans and Mexicans entry; for this reason, López Obrador, ordered about 27 thousand soldiers to the northern and southern borders of México to detain and reject all undocumented. It is clear that globalization is not only a commercial process, but a political and socio-cultural one through the newly created National Guard, which has ended up becoming the “Mexican Migra”.