Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

From Stateless To Citizen: Trust, Disclosure, And Collaboration With Guatemalan Refugees As Human Rights Practice, Oscar F. Gil-Garcia

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

U.S. immigration enforcement practices have spread to Mexico, resulting in apprehension rates of Central American migrants that rival those of the U.S. In 2015, deportations of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in Mexico exceeded 165,000, more than twice the number of U.S. deportations to this region.

Enforcement-only priorities surrounding immigration policy in Mexico have reinforced discriminatory treatment, poverty, inequality, and exploitation toward the indigenous and migrant populations. These circumstances have particularly impacted indigenous Guatemalan Mayans who sought refuge in Mexico during the 1980s and continue to face obstacles for their legalization by the Mexican state, in violation of …