Title: The Mexico-Canada border: extraterritorial border control and the production of 'economic refugees'

Authors: Julie E.E. Young

Addresses: Institute for Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada

Abstract: By examining the Mexico-Canada border, I argue that the interplay between discourses of the 'bogus economic refugee' and Canada's extraterritorial bordering practices is crucial to understanding human security in North America. The concept of the Mexico-Canada border is shorthand for how Canadian policies and practices aim to police Mexico's borders. For example, Canada implemented a visa requirement in 2009 in response to a 'surge' in refugee claims by Mexican nationals. The term also signals how Mexico has been constructed as the focus of regional migration management, including through Canada's Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program to support policing and border security efforts within Mexico. Both initiatives contribute to a broader Canadian strategy of Mexican refugee deterrence.

Keywords: Mexico-Canada border; extraterritorial border control; economic refugees; refugee policies; migration management; discourse; visa requirement; anti-crime capacity building program; deterrence; Canada; Mexico; North America.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2018.091225

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2018 Vol.4 No.1/2, pp.35 - 50

Received: 21 Sep 2016
Accepted: 15 Sep 2017
Published online: 16 Apr 2018 *

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