This chapter examines the regional integration and transnational activism in North America through the example of the Central American migrant caravans from 2018 and 2019. The chapter combines theoretical frameworks of externalization of migration control and transnational activism to analyze the complex interactions between state actors, migrants, and migrant advocates. These interactions show that, in alignment with global trends related to migration management, regional collaboration and integration from “above” in the context of migration control was significant, but this came at the expense of actors from “below,” as migrants, activists, and organizations were experiencing barriers, limitations, and criminalization. Nevertheless, this regional integration from “above” simultaneously fueled contestation from “below,” as the numerous barriers to movement also created a space for (albeit limited) solidarity. The caravans offer a unique insight into the challenging and contested space of North America, and the pertaining inequality of mobility in the region.

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Barriers and Collaboration in “North America”: The Case of the Migrant Caravans

  • Veronica Øverlid

摘要

This chapter examines the regional integration and transnational activism in North America through the example of the Central American migrant caravans from 2018 and 2019. The chapter combines theoretical frameworks of externalization of migration control and transnational activism to analyze the complex interactions between state actors, migrants, and migrant advocates. These interactions show that, in alignment with global trends related to migration management, regional collaboration and integration from “above” in the context of migration control was significant, but this came at the expense of actors from “below,” as migrants, activists, and organizations were experiencing barriers, limitations, and criminalization. Nevertheless, this regional integration from “above” simultaneously fueled contestation from “below,” as the numerous barriers to movement also created a space for (albeit limited) solidarity. The caravans offer a unique insight into the challenging and contested space of North America, and the pertaining inequality of mobility in the region.