Content area
This portfolio dissertation consists of four pieces. “The U.S.-Mexico Border as Structuring Exclusion and Inclusion: A Multidimensional Approach” challenges the traditional view of borders and proposes an approach focusing on how they structure exclusion and inclusion. It frames the U.S.-Mexico Border as a complex construct consisting of political, social, and economic architecture. It highlights how undocumented immigrants, especially Latinas, are confronted by the U.S.-Mexico Border no matter where they are in the United States.
“Immigration Under Duress” challenges the prevailing view that undocumented migration is a deliberate choice made for opportunity maximization. Rather, many undocumented immigrants migrate under duress, similar to refugees. By re-framing how migration is understood, this work exposes the ethical flaws in policies that criminalize undocumented immigrants. It goes on to offer a foundation for rethinking immigration policy to better address these realities by including a new type of immigrant, systemic refugees.
“Values, Methods, Policy, Oh My!” brings together insights from feminist philosophy of science and economic methodology to critique the economics of immigration and its policy orientation. It calls into question the assumption that immigration economics is value-neutral and, therefore, a good basis for “fact-based” policy.
“Narrative Displacement” introduces the concept of narrative displacement, a phenomenon that affects a group's ability to contribute to the shared knowledge and social construction of reality in relation to undocumented Latinx immigrants. Narrative displacement is a structural and systemic injustice that has political, social, and epistemic dimensions. It ensures that undocumented Latinx immigrants are not recognized, valued, or heard in political discourse and public narratives. By framing narrative displacement as a distinct harm, this work contributes to understanding the mechanisms of political invisibility and its ethical implications.
Together, these works discuss various important issues relevant to immigration in the United States at present. A core motivation of these projects is a concern for the state of immigration in the United States from an ethical perspective, as well as care for the experiences of immigrants, particularly undocumented individuals. The pieces in this dissertation contribute to border theory, the philosophy of immigration, political philosophy, the economics of immigration, and Latinx philosophy.