Risk of Death and Aggressions Encountered while Illegally Crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border

Abstract

This article analyzes the type of migrant who is most likely to be exposed to the risk of death or be a victim of aggression by U.S. authorities while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and the impact this has on the future migration intentions of repatriated or deported individuals. On the basis of a logistic regression analysis, the study shows that those most vulnerable to risk or aggressions are first-time migrants who hire the services of human smugglers. Furthermore, migrants who were previously exposed to the risk of death or whose belongings were confiscated and never returned are less likely to engage in subsequent migration attempts. Finally, being a victim of physical or verbal abuse at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents is unrelated to future migration intentions.Riesgo de muerte y agresiones al cruzar ilegalmente la frontera Estados Unidos-MéxicoResumenEste artículo estudia qué tipo de migrantes tienen mayores probabilidades de enfrentarse al riesgo de muerte y ser víctimas de agresiones por parte de autoridades estadounidenses al cruzar ilegalmente la frontera Estados Unidos-México, y el impacto que esto tiene sobre las intenciones migratorias futuras de los individuos repatriados o deportados. Con base en regresiones logísticas, se muestra que las personas más vulnerables son aquellas que migran por primera vez y contrataron los servicios de un coyote. Así mismo, aquellos migrantes previamente expuestos al riesgo de muerte o cuyas pertenencias fueron confiscadas y nunca devueltas tienen menor probabilidad de incurrir en subsecuentes intentos migratorios. Por último, ser víctima de abuso físico o verbal por parte de agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza no está relacionado con las intenciones migratorias futuras.

Cover image

Keywords

• illegal migration
• migrant deaths
• aggression
• Mexico
• United States

How to Cite

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