Books by Daniel E Martínez
Mass deportation is at the forefront of political discourse in the United States. The Shadow of t... more Mass deportation is at the forefront of political discourse in the United States. The Shadow of the Wall shows in tangible ways the migration experiences of hundreds of people, including their encounters with U.S. Border Patrol, cartels , detention facilities, and the deportation process. Deportees reveal in their heartwrenching stories the power of family separation and reunification and the cost of criminalization, and they call into question assumptions about human rights and federal policies. The authors analyze data from the Migrant Border Crossing Study (MBCS), a mixed-methods, binational research project that offers socially relevant, rigorous social science about migration, immigration enforcement, and violence on the border. Using information gathered from more than 1,600 post-deportation surveys, this volume examines the different faces of violence and migration along the Arizona-Sonora border and shows that deportees are highly connected to the United States and will stop at nothing to return to their families. The Shadow of the Wall underscores the unintended social consequences of increased border enforcement, immigrant criminalization, and deportation along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Articles by Daniel E Martínez
Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2024
We examine the deaths of undocumented migrants in southern California (i.e., San Diego and Imperi... more We examine the deaths of undocumented migrants in southern California (i.e., San Diego and Imperial counties) for fiscal years (FYs) 2018–2023 using data obtained from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office (SDCMEO) and Imperial County Coroner’s Office (ICCO). We recorded 314 deaths of undocumented migrants, with 157 in San Diego County (SDC) and 157 in Imperial County (IC). We describe trend fluctuations in migrant deaths and both the overall and county-specific proportions as they relate to causes of death and demographic characteristics (biological sex and age at death). Additionally, to capture the potential effects of the 2019 border wall expansion and COVID-19 pandemic on migrant deaths, we examined differences in these factors between two periods: FY 2018–2019 and FY 2020–2023. We conclude by comparing migrant deaths reported by the medicolegal authorities to estimates published by US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol for southern California.
Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2024
In this article, we present a qualitative analysis of the events surrounding death or disappearan... more In this article, we present a qualitative analysis of the events surrounding death or disappearance in autopsy and missing person reports from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME) in Arizona to highlight how interactions between border enforcement personnel and migrants can be deadly. We reviewed PCOME records of undocumented border crosser deaths between 2000 and 2023 and observed three main types of deadly U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) practices: reckless motor vehicle pursuits, aggressive strategies used to detain individuals who are on foot, and the use of lethal force. Our findings reveal that these tactics, which we argue constitute forms of "excessive use of force," represent significant yet overlooked factors contributing to migrant death and disappearance in southern Arizona. We make the following policy recommendations: 1. Immediate measures to prevent the loss of life (A). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should mandate a ban on border enforcement methods that provoke fear, panic, or confusion. (B). DHS should take measures to substantially reduce the use of high-speed motor vehicle pursuits by USBP and other immigration enforcement officials. (C). DHS should ensure that USBP officers are compliant with Department of Justice (DOJ) standards on use of deadly force, in particular the policy that "Deadly force may not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect." 2. Investigate Border Fatalities Involving Border Enforcement Officers (A). We call on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an official review of all medical examiner and coroner records along the U.S.-Mexico border for fatality cases in which border enforcement personnel were involved in any way in the circumstances surrounding death. (B). We encourage the formation of civilian review boards in border regions to review medical examiner and coroner records of migrant fatalities involving immigration officials as well as immigration officials' apprehension strategies immediately preceding fatal encounters with migrants.
Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2024
Immigration at the US-México border has drastically changed since the mid-2010s. Instead of adult... more Immigration at the US-México border has drastically changed since the mid-2010s. Instead of adult undocumented Mexican men, generally migrating for economic purposes, there are now large numbers of men, women, unaccompanied minors, and families from diverse countries seeking asylum in the United States, as they are allowed to do under US and international law. In response to these changes, the US federal government leveraged multiple strategies to impede access to the country's asylum system, including relying on Title 42 "expulsions." Title 42, a COVID-19-era health measure, prevented migrants from initiating an asylum claim. Instead, asylum-seekers were typically immediately expelled to the closest port of entry in México. The use of public health as a pretext to control the border placed these migrants at risk and led many to attempt repeat border crossings. Given this policy context, we ask: what, if any, is the association between Title 42 expulsions and migrant deaths in southern Arizona? We address this question by drawing on records of recovered undocumented border crosser (UBC) remains investigated by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME) in Tucson, Arizona. We examined differences in the number and demographic characteristics of UBC remains recovered between what prior studies have characterized as the "Localized Funnel Effect" Era of border enforcement in southern Arizona (i.e., October 1, 2013–March 19, 2020; N = 851), and the “Title 42” Era (i.e., March 20, 2021–September 30, 2023; N = 709). We also assessed how, if at all, the geography of recovered UBC remains shifted between these eras. We found that migrant deaths rose from an annual mean of 133 during the Localized Funnel Effect (LFE) Era to 198 in the Title 42 (T42) Era, representing a 48 percent increase. Compared to the earlier era, remains recovered during the T42 Era clustered closer to the border and near the cities of Nogales and Agua Prieta, Sonora, having shifted from west to east in southern Arizona. Additionally, we found that Title 42 disproportionately affected Mexican and Guatemalan nationals both in terms of expulsions as well as deaths. We propose several policy recommendations based on our study’s findings intended to reduce
unnecessary suffering and increase human security:
• The US federal government should not impede or limit migrants’ access to the asylum system. Policymakers should instead create clear pathways and procedures that obviate the need for migrants to undertake dangerous journeys and overcome barriers to fair consideration of their claims.
• The US government must expand its ability to address these claims, as continued attempts to block asylum seekers will result in additional loss of life and increased violence. It should increase its capacity to screen asylum seekers at the US-México border. We propose an increase in USCIS Asylum Officers to carry out this duty. US Customs and Border Protection agents should not screen asylum seekers, nor should they assume the responsibility of serving as asylum officers, given the agency’s extensively documented record of persistently dehumanizing and mistreating migrants.
• The US federal government must take measures to eliminate the backlog of asylum cases in the immigration courts. These measures need to include reforms in the underlying immigration system and in the removal adjudication system, such as greater access to legal counsel and changes to the law that offer legal pathways to imperiled migrants who do not meet the narrow definition of asylum. Absent these reforms, the asylum case backlog will grow, and many asylum seekers with strong claims to remain will be removed after living for years in the United States.
Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2024
The International Organization of Migration has characterized the US-Mexico border as the world's... more The International Organization of Migration has characterized the US-Mexico border as the world's deadliest land migration route. By August 2024, a minimum of 5,405 persons had died or gone missing along this border since 2014, with record high numbers since 2021. Migrant deaths occur despite decades of: US Border Patrol search and rescue initiatives; public education campaigns targeting potential migrants on the dangers of irregular migration; dozens of academic publications and reports highlighting the root causes of these deaths; efforts by consular officials, local communities, and humanitarian agencies to locate, identify, and repatriate human remains; and desperate attempts by families to learn the fate of their missing loved ones. This paper introduces a special edition of the Journal on Migration and Human Security (JMHS), which draws on original research and the expertise of medical examiners, forensic anthropologists, social scientists, and humanitarian organizations to examine this persistent human tragedy. Many of the authors investigate migrant deaths in their professional capacities. They identify the dead, return remains to family members, and champion reforms to prevent deaths and better account for the dead and missing. This JMHS special edition represents a collaboration between the University of Arizona's Binational Migration Institute, the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMSNY), and the Working Group on Mapping Migrant Deaths along the US Southwest Border. The Working Group includes scholars and practitioners from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and New York who have met monthly since October of 2021. The special edition examines in granular detail the causes of migrant deaths, US border enforcement strategies and tactics, migrant death statistics, and the resource and capacity challenges faced by US counties along and leading from the US-Mexico border in investigating these deaths. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and many public officials attribute the deaths to the predations of human smugglers, the victims' ignorance or assumption of risk, and the harsh "natural" conditions to which migrants finally succumb. This special issue also documents the underlying non-natural causes of this enduring tragedy, and offers both overarching and more targeted solutions to preventing and minimizing migrant deaths. The issue builds upon and extends seminal research on migrant deaths first featured in CMSNY publications more than two decades ago. Section I introduces the issue of migrant deaths by posing the question: Why should we care? Section II describes the genesis of “prevention through deterrence”—a border enforcement theory and strategy—and its evolution through subsequent Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Border Patrol strategic plans. It describes the immense enforcement infrastructure built around this idea by successive administrations and Congresses, and it explains why it has failed to stem irregular migration and how it has contributed to migrant deaths. Section III reviews the main causes of migrant deaths—forced migration, the combined effects of prevention through deterrence and border enforcement tactics, the denial of access to asylum, the border wall, the “naturalization” of migrant deaths, and the dominant vision of the border as a site of danger and exclusion. Section IV reviews the legislative standards for identifying, investigating, and reporting on migrant decedents. It also details the deficiencies of Border Patrol and county-level sources of data on deaths, and it outlines ways to strengthen data collection. Section V discusses the burdens placed on communities along and leading from the border in investigating deaths and their need for greater resources and capacity to address this problem. Section VI outlines the anomalies and challenges related to the Border Patrol’s migrant rescue program. Section VII describes international legal standards to guide the investigation of migrant deaths and two model programs. Section VIII sets forth policy recommendations to prevent migrant deaths and to honor and account for the dead.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2024
Background: Guided by Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (BMHSU), this study aime... more Background: Guided by Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (BMHSU), this study aimed to identify determinants of post-migration healthcare use among a sample of Mexican immigrants in a US-Mexico border region in Southern Arizona, while considering pre-migration health and healthcare experiences. Methods: A non-probabilistic convenience sample of 300 adult Mexican immigrants completed a telephone survey to assess healthcare practices. Multivariable logistic regressions were fitted to determine adjusted relationships between frequency of care and predisposing, enabling, need, and contextual factors as well as personal health practices. Results: Overall, participants had a 79% probability of receiving healthcare "at least once a year" after migrating to Southern Arizona. Receiving post-migration healthcare was associated with predisposing, enabling, need, contextual factors, and personal health practices (p < 0.05). Discussion: Consistent with BMHSU, our findings suggest that frequency of healthcare is not only a function of having postmigration health insurance but is also shaped by a complex array of other factors. The results of this study shed light onto potential areas to be leveraged by multifactorial sociocultural interventions to increase Mexican immigrants' frequency of healthcare services use. Keywords Mexican immigrants • Health care services use • Hispanic health-disparities • Andersen's Behavioral Model of health services use
Social Science & Medicine, 2024
Mexicans in the United States have been reported to maintain practices of Mexican traditional med... more Mexicans in the United States have been reported to maintain practices of Mexican traditional medicine at comparably higher rates than most other populations, including other Latino sub-groups. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the pre- and post-migration traditional medicine practices of first-generation immigrants from Mexico living in southern Arizona. Our objective was to assess how migration affected Mexican immigrants’ ethnomedical practices and to better understand the mechanisms and motivating factors for the post-migration maintenance of practice. We designed a survey instrument based off prior qualitative data on traditional medicine practices and translated it into Spanish. The survey measured the rates and frequency of six domains of lay healing practices: herbal medicine, healing foods, self-medication with over-the-counter medicine, and three types of specialty healers (curandero/a, and sobador/a, or partero/a), and asked questions about knowledge sources, reasons for practice maintaining practice post-migration, and to what extent they believed the remedies were effective. The research team fielded the telephone-based survey from April 2022 to February 2023 to 300 first-generation adult Mexican immigrants residing in southern Arizona. A series of proportions tests were conducted to examine differences in reliance on lay healing pre- and post-migration as well as to assess differences between women’s and men’s lay practices. The data indicate a general, but moderated decline in lay medical practices post-migration, with the usage of expert healers declining at much higher rates than the three self-care domains. Women tend to use herbal medicine and healing foods at higher rates than men post-migration. This cross-sectional quantitative study confirms prior research indicating that traditional medicine practices are heavily relied upon by Mexican origin people both pre- and post-migration. These findings suggest that public health messaging and medical providers should better address and harness Mexican immigrants’ lay medical practices in order to optimize health in this population.
American Behavioral Scientist, 2024
Few studies have examined how handling pesticides affects self-reported pain or discomfort, repre... more Few studies have examined how handling pesticides affects self-reported pain or discomfort, representing a critical yet under-examined dimension of farmworkers' overall well-being. Guided by the social determinants of health framework, structural violence theory, and a "normalization of suffering" perspective, we ask: (1) what is the relationship between loading, mixing, or applying pesticides and self-reported musculoskeletal pain/discomfort? (2) When controlling for handling pesticides, what factors are associated with self-reported pain? We address these questions by drawing on the National Agricultural Workers Survey and find that handling pesticides within the past year increases the odds of self-reported pain. We also find that female and indigenous farmworkers have higher odds, net of handling pesticides and other occupational, health, and socioeconomic risk factors. Moreover, female farmworkers who handle pesticides report higher odds of pain relative to males who handle pesticides as well as females and males who do not. We conclude by discussing implications for the extant literature on farmworkers and by providing policy recommendations that may help researchers and policymakers better assess the health risks associated with handling pesticides.
Latino Studies, 2024
Scholars across various career stages and academic specializations are actively engaged with the ... more Scholars across various career stages and academic specializations are actively engaged with the shared and ongoing project of Latina/o/x criminologies. I use testimonio and reflección (Peguero 2011, 2018) to highlight the challenges of studying phenomena that disproportionately affect Latina/o/xs the United States, which is a defining feature of “doing” Latina/o/x criminologies. I offer a firsthand account as a researcher who identifies with the researched and articulate how social science has been a source of both strain and emancipatory promise in describing and explaining the etiology of social harms (also see Mirandé 1988). A collective bridge-building between criminology and humanistic inquiry on Latino studies is not a bridge between books or anthologies or journal volumes; it is a bridge about people and how they negotiate the milieu of their personal and professional lives. Writing from the relatively privileged position of a mid-career and tenured scholar in the social sciences, my objective is to engage in generative dialogue about how we—as variously situated Latina/o/x scholars—can continue supporting each other as people while also advancing our individual and shared works as professionals. After all, a Latina/o/x criminology also requires attention to who its contributors are and why they are here.
Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology, 2023
Recent studies and reports suggest an increased mortality rate of undocumented border crossers (U... more Recent studies and reports suggest an increased mortality rate of undocumented border crossers (UBCs) in Arizona is the result of heat extremes and climatic change. Conversely, others have shown that deaths have occurred in cooler environments than in previous years. We hypothesized that human locomotion plays a greater role in heat-related mortality and that such events are not simply the result of exposure. To test our hypothesis, we used a postmortem geographic application of the human heat balance equation for 2,746 UBC deaths between 1990 and 2022 and performed regression and cluster analyses to assess the impacts of ambient temperature and exertion. Results demonstrate exertion having greater explaining power, suggesting that heat-related mortality among UBCs is not simply a function of extreme temperatures, but more so a result of the required physical exertion. Additionally, the power of these variables is not static but changes with place, time, and policy.
Journal of the Southwest, 2023
The number of immigrants requesting asylum at the US-Mexico border has increased substantially si... more The number of immigrants requesting asylum at the US-Mexico border has increased substantially since 2014. Drawing on a legal violence framework as well as the burgeoning literature on the criminalization of immigration, we argue that the increased discursive and social criminalization of immigration has had profound effects on the experiences of asylum seekers along the US-Mexico border, as they are subject to many of the same informal criminalizing forces that affect the treatment of undocumented border crossers in US custody. Through 19 in-depth interviews and nine months of participant observation while volunteering at a migrant shelter in a southwestern city, we identify several ways in which asylum seekers navigate and make sense of encounters with US Customs and Border Protection agents and while in short-term custody. Our findings suggest that some asylum seekers—particularly those who experienced explicit criminalization—actively resist criminalizing treatment, while others normalize these experiences or even juxtapose them against the conditions they fled within their communities of origin.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2022
'Latinx'a gender neutral variation of 'Latino', is increasingly used to describe individuals of L... more 'Latinx'a gender neutral variation of 'Latino', is increasingly used to describe individuals of Latin American origin in the United States. Drawing on data from the 2019 National Survey of Latinos, we assess familiarity, use, and attitudes towards the term Latinx among Hispanic-Latinos. We find that linked fate, discrimination experiences, being a Democrat, being younger, and higher levels of education predict greater awareness of the term. Having ever used Latinx to identify oneself is only associated with discrimination experiences, identifying as Afro-Latino, and being female. However, the effects of discrimination experiences on having ever used the term are moderated by immigrant generation and age. Meanwhile, believing the term should be used as a panethnic label is associated with the same factors as those that explain awareness of the term, with the exception of greater education. Lastly, we find that the factors associated with preferences for 'Latinx' over both 'Hispanic' and 'Latino' are similar, suggesting that those who prefer the term represent a distinct subgroup of Hispanic-Latinos. Collectively, our findings suggest that, while college campuses represent critical sites for raising awareness of the term, this knowledge is not necessarily leading to its active use among Hispanic-Latinos themselves.
The Geographical Journal, 2022
U.S. public officials frequently argue that high temperatures are responsible for increasing mort... more U.S. public officials frequently argue that high temperatures are responsible for increasing mortality of undocumented border crossers (UBCs) in southern Arizona. In this article, we suggest that these kinds of assertions are not only empirically misleading, they also serve to naturalize UBC deaths in the region by helping to obscure their structural causes. Indeed, although heat exposure is a primary cause of death in the region, prior studies have also shown that migration patterns have shifted toward more remote and rugged terrain, characterized by higher elevations and greater shade cover. Using physiological modeling and a spatiotemporal forensic analysis, we assess whether the distribution of recovered human remains has shifted toward locations characterized by environments where the human body is more or less capable of regulating core temperature, and thus succumbing to heat stress. We find that the distribution of recovered UBC remains has consistently trended toward locations where the potential for heat stress is lower, rather than higher. This demonstrates that UBC mortality is not principally a function of ambient or regional temperature, but rather is a result of specific policy decisions that lead to cumulative stress and prolonged exposure due to factors like difficulty and distance of travel. To contextualize these findings, we discuss the evolution of the United States Border Patrol’s policy of Prevention Through Deterrence, and apply the concepts of structural and cultural violence to theorize its consistently deadly outcomes.
Public Administration Review, 2022
Immigration policies in the United States have not been explicitly race-based since the mid-20th ... more Immigration policies in the United States have not been explicitly race-based since the mid-20th Century. Nevertheless, the effects of contemporary US immigration enforcement practices are highly racialized. The further development of a “race conscious” approach in public policy and administration will help expand our understanding of the racialized dimensions of these policies and practices. Specifically, I call attention to how current approaches to immigration control disproportionately negatively affect non-White immigrants from the so-called “Global South,” contribute to racialization processes, and perpetuate racial inequality in the United States. Examples include the ways that undocumented immigration status is leading to the emergence of a new “underclass” in the United States, the separation and dissolution of Latino families through mass deportation, and the systematic criminalization of non-White undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Sociological Perspectives, 2021
Latinos and Asian-Americans constitute the largest recent immigrant groups in the United States. ... more Latinos and Asian-Americans constitute the largest recent immigrant groups in the United States. Upon arrival, immigrants from these groups generally identify with their national origin despite being categorized as "Asian" or "Latino" for state enumeration. While both are racialized and excluded from mainstream identities, they differ in their internal linguistic and religious diversities, socioeconomic status, and immigration experiences. Sociologists theorized that Asian-American panethnicity is based on structural commonalities while Latino panethnicity is built upon cultural commonalities. We elaborate the theoretical understanding of contexts associated with this identification and find alternative underpinnings that shape both groups' panethnic identification. We find generation since immigration is a common basis for elevated likelihood of panethnic identification for both groups. However, among Asian-Americans, we find English proficiency and age increase people's odds of identifying with a panethnic identity over a national origin term, whereas for Latinos, political affiliation and religiosity increase these odds.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2021
Objectives: We examine the prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of skeletal indicators of... more Objectives: We examine the prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of skeletal indicators of stress in forensic samples of undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central America.
Materials and methods: Cranial and dental remains of 319 migrants recovered in the Arizona and Texas borderlands were assessed for porotic hyperostosis (PH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH). Logistic regression models for each condition were estimated to test for associations with biological sex, age, recovery location, and whether individuals were identified. Additional models estimated for a subsample of identified migrants included region of origin, residential context, and community indigeneity.
Results: The full sample shows moderate crude prevalence of CO (9.6%) and LEH (34.1%), and a high prevalence of PH (49.6%). Significantly higher odds of PH are associated with being male (2.16 times higher), unidentified (1.89 times higher), and recovered in Arizona (3.76 times higher). Among identified migrants, we fail to find associations significant at the p < 0.05 level between skeletal stress and all sociodemographic variables except age.
Discussion: The factors associated with PH may be related to influences on decisions to migrate and diversity among migrant sending regions. The skeletal evidence for early life stress is generally consistent with common public health concerns among impoverished communities in the region. The lesions themselves are viewed as embodied risk of physiological disturbance when resource access is structured by higher-level social, economic, and political forces. Forensic anthropologists would benefit from increased sensitivity to embodied structural violence among the vulnerable individuals and communities they serve.
American Sociological Review, 2021
Sanctuary jurisdictions have existed in the United States since the 1980s. They have recently ree... more Sanctuary jurisdictions have existed in the United States since the 1980s. They have recently reentered U.S. politics and engendered contentious debates regarding their legality and influence on public safety. Critics argue that sanctuary jurisdictions create conditions that threaten local communities by impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts. Proponents maintain that the policies improve public safety by fostering institutional trust among immigrant communities and by increasing the willingness of immigrant community members to notify the police after they are victimized. In this study, we situate expectations from the immigrant sanctuary literature within a multilevel, contextualized help-seeking framework to assess how crime-reporting behavior varies across immigrant sanctuary contexts. We find
that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence. We argue that social policy contexts can shift the nature of help-seeking experiences and eliminate barriers that undermine crime victims’ willingness to mobilize the law. Overall, this study highlights the unique role social policy contexts can serve in structuring victims’ help-seeking decisions.
Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2020
What happens after deportation? What contexts must Mexican deportees navigate and contend with af... more What happens after deportation? What contexts must Mexican deportees navigate and contend with after removal from the United States? This article explores the challenges for people postremoval in Mexico, particularly by drawing on fieldwork conducted in Tamaulipas, which is home to the Zetas drug trafficking organization and the infamous massacre of seventy-two migrants. We argue that incidental exposure to violence and crime began as an implicit aspect of immigration enforcement and has grown into one of the central tenets of current policy. We take a feminist geopolitical approach to connect the postdeportation experiences of migrants to the policies of deportation, incarceration, and punishment levied against them by the U.S. government. Migrants, particularly those apprehended through the Criminal Alien Program, have been returned to Tamaulipas in concentrated numbers despite its violent reputation. The processes of criminalization have led to a system that prioritizes punishment for migrants, meaning that we cannot extricate experiences that occur after removal from enforcement measures that create those situations. These practices are directly connected to the current wave of policies aimed at stopping asylum seekers, including “metering,” where people are made to wait at the border to apply for asylum at the port of entry, and the Remain in Mexico program (otherwise known as the Migrant Protection Protocols). We argue that enforcement is more complex than “prevention through deterrence” narratives and exposure to nonstate violence in Mexico has slowly become a more integral part of enforcement plans.
Sociological Perspectives, 2021
Despite different origins, "Hispanic" and "Latino" are often used interchangeably to describe peo... more Despite different origins, "Hispanic" and "Latino" are often used interchangeably to describe people with Latin American ancestry in the United States. Nevertheless, research consistently finds around half of U.S. Latinos/Hispanics prefer one term over the other. What factors explain these differences and account for no preference at all? Drawing on the 2013 National Survey of Latinos, we find college graduates, non-Mexicans, and first-and second-generation immigrants, and respondents in the western United States have higher relative odds of preferring "Latino" over "Hispanic." Those who identify racially as "Hispanic/Latino" also opt for "Latino," suggesting it is associated with racialization in the U.S. context. Conversely, gender, citizenship status, language use, and political affiliation do not explain specific panethnic label preference. We employ several theoretical approaches to provide insight on these findings, including (neo) colonization and internal colonialism, assimilation and racialization, and consciousness-raising.
Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2020
The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) ... more The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have contributed to a mounting humanitarian and legal crisis along the US-Mexico border. In the United States, the treatment of UAC is governed by laws, policies, and standards drawn from the Flores Settlement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), and CBP procedures and directives, which are intended to ensure UAC's protection, well-being, and ability to pursue relief from removal, such as asylum. As nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups have documented, however, CBP has repeatedly violated these legal standards and policies, and subjected UAC to abuses and rights violations. This article draws from surveys of 97 recently deported Mexican UAC, which examine their experiences with US imigration authorities. The study finds that Mexican UAC are detained in subpar conditions, are routinely not screened for fear of return to their home countries or for human trafficking, and are not sufficiently informed about the deportation process. The article recommends that CBP should take immediate steps to improve the treatment of UAC, that CBP and other entities responsible for the care of UAC be monitored to ensure their compliance with US law and policy, and that Mexican UAC be afforded the same procedures and protection under the TVPRA as UAC from noncontiguous states.
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Books by Daniel E Martínez
Articles by Daniel E Martínez
unnecessary suffering and increase human security:
• The US federal government should not impede or limit migrants’ access to the asylum system. Policymakers should instead create clear pathways and procedures that obviate the need for migrants to undertake dangerous journeys and overcome barriers to fair consideration of their claims.
• The US government must expand its ability to address these claims, as continued attempts to block asylum seekers will result in additional loss of life and increased violence. It should increase its capacity to screen asylum seekers at the US-México border. We propose an increase in USCIS Asylum Officers to carry out this duty. US Customs and Border Protection agents should not screen asylum seekers, nor should they assume the responsibility of serving as asylum officers, given the agency’s extensively documented record of persistently dehumanizing and mistreating migrants.
• The US federal government must take measures to eliminate the backlog of asylum cases in the immigration courts. These measures need to include reforms in the underlying immigration system and in the removal adjudication system, such as greater access to legal counsel and changes to the law that offer legal pathways to imperiled migrants who do not meet the narrow definition of asylum. Absent these reforms, the asylum case backlog will grow, and many asylum seekers with strong claims to remain will be removed after living for years in the United States.
Materials and methods: Cranial and dental remains of 319 migrants recovered in the Arizona and Texas borderlands were assessed for porotic hyperostosis (PH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH). Logistic regression models for each condition were estimated to test for associations with biological sex, age, recovery location, and whether individuals were identified. Additional models estimated for a subsample of identified migrants included region of origin, residential context, and community indigeneity.
Results: The full sample shows moderate crude prevalence of CO (9.6%) and LEH (34.1%), and a high prevalence of PH (49.6%). Significantly higher odds of PH are associated with being male (2.16 times higher), unidentified (1.89 times higher), and recovered in Arizona (3.76 times higher). Among identified migrants, we fail to find associations significant at the p < 0.05 level between skeletal stress and all sociodemographic variables except age.
Discussion: The factors associated with PH may be related to influences on decisions to migrate and diversity among migrant sending regions. The skeletal evidence for early life stress is generally consistent with common public health concerns among impoverished communities in the region. The lesions themselves are viewed as embodied risk of physiological disturbance when resource access is structured by higher-level social, economic, and political forces. Forensic anthropologists would benefit from increased sensitivity to embodied structural violence among the vulnerable individuals and communities they serve.
that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence. We argue that social policy contexts can shift the nature of help-seeking experiences and eliminate barriers that undermine crime victims’ willingness to mobilize the law. Overall, this study highlights the unique role social policy contexts can serve in structuring victims’ help-seeking decisions.
unnecessary suffering and increase human security:
• The US federal government should not impede or limit migrants’ access to the asylum system. Policymakers should instead create clear pathways and procedures that obviate the need for migrants to undertake dangerous journeys and overcome barriers to fair consideration of their claims.
• The US government must expand its ability to address these claims, as continued attempts to block asylum seekers will result in additional loss of life and increased violence. It should increase its capacity to screen asylum seekers at the US-México border. We propose an increase in USCIS Asylum Officers to carry out this duty. US Customs and Border Protection agents should not screen asylum seekers, nor should they assume the responsibility of serving as asylum officers, given the agency’s extensively documented record of persistently dehumanizing and mistreating migrants.
• The US federal government must take measures to eliminate the backlog of asylum cases in the immigration courts. These measures need to include reforms in the underlying immigration system and in the removal adjudication system, such as greater access to legal counsel and changes to the law that offer legal pathways to imperiled migrants who do not meet the narrow definition of asylum. Absent these reforms, the asylum case backlog will grow, and many asylum seekers with strong claims to remain will be removed after living for years in the United States.
Materials and methods: Cranial and dental remains of 319 migrants recovered in the Arizona and Texas borderlands were assessed for porotic hyperostosis (PH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH). Logistic regression models for each condition were estimated to test for associations with biological sex, age, recovery location, and whether individuals were identified. Additional models estimated for a subsample of identified migrants included region of origin, residential context, and community indigeneity.
Results: The full sample shows moderate crude prevalence of CO (9.6%) and LEH (34.1%), and a high prevalence of PH (49.6%). Significantly higher odds of PH are associated with being male (2.16 times higher), unidentified (1.89 times higher), and recovered in Arizona (3.76 times higher). Among identified migrants, we fail to find associations significant at the p < 0.05 level between skeletal stress and all sociodemographic variables except age.
Discussion: The factors associated with PH may be related to influences on decisions to migrate and diversity among migrant sending regions. The skeletal evidence for early life stress is generally consistent with common public health concerns among impoverished communities in the region. The lesions themselves are viewed as embodied risk of physiological disturbance when resource access is structured by higher-level social, economic, and political forces. Forensic anthropologists would benefit from increased sensitivity to embodied structural violence among the vulnerable individuals and communities they serve.
that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence. We argue that social policy contexts can shift the nature of help-seeking experiences and eliminate barriers that undermine crime victims’ willingness to mobilize the law. Overall, this study highlights the unique role social policy contexts can serve in structuring victims’ help-seeking decisions.
Special issue: Kerwin, Donald, Daniel E. Martínez, and Courtney Siegert. 2024. “Forced Migration, Deterrence, and Solutions to the Non-Natural Disaster of Migrant Deaths Along the US-Mexico Border and Beyond.” Journal on Migration and Human Security 12(3).
Special issue: Kerwin, Donald, Daniel E. Martínez, and Courtney Siegert. 2024. “Forced Migration, Deterrence, and Solutions to the Non-Natural Disaster of Migrant Deaths Along the US-Mexico Border and Beyond.” Journal on Migration and Human Security 12(3).
Unfortunately, immigration policy is frequently shaped more by fear and stereotype than by empirical evidence. As a result, immigrants have the stigma of “criminality” ascribed to them by an ever-evolving assortment of laws and immigration-enforcement mechanisms. Put differently, immigrants are being defined more and more as threats. Whole new classes of “felonies” have been created which apply only to immigrants, deportation has become a punishment for even minor offenses, and policies aimed at trying to end unauthorized immigration have been made more punitive rather than more rational and practical. In short, immigrants themselves are being criminalized.
Based on government data and documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), this report examines CAP’s evolution, operations, and outcomes between fiscal years 2010 and 2013. That data shows that through CAP’s enormous web, ICE has encountered millions and removed hundreds of thousands of people. Yet, CAP is not narrowly tailored to focus enforcement efforts on the most serious security or safety threats—in part because CAP uses criminal arrest as a proxy for dangerousness and because the agency’s own priorities have been drawn more broadly than those threats.
As a result, the program removed mainly people with no criminal convictions, and people who have not been convicted of violent crimes or crimes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies as serious. CAP also has resulted in several anomalies, including that it appears biased against Mexican and Central American nationals. Moreover, the number of CAP removals differs significantly from state to state.
ICE’s reliance on CAP to achieve its goals will likely continue as ICE further narrows its focus on removing noncitizens with criminal convictions and continues to seek partnerships with state and local law enforcement to find them. This examination of CAP’s outcomes from fiscal years 2010 to 2013 offers important insights into CAP’s operations over time and its potential impact on communities moving forward. In particular, it raises questions about the ability of a broad “jail check” program to effectively remove serious public safety threats without resulting in serious unintended consequences, such as those described in this report.
Escenarios del sur y norte global
5 de noviembre a las 16:00 hrs, IGg UNAM
* Fiorenza Picozza, Posdoctorado IGg UNAM / Securitización de las migraciones e internalización de las fronteras en la UE: el caso del Reglamento de Dublín
* Daniel Martínez, University of Arizona / Muertes de migrantes en la frontera Sonora/México – Arizona/EUA
* Guillermo Castillo, IGg UNAM / Procesos de violencia en la frontera México - Guatemala