Differential Criminalization under Operation Streamline: Challenges to Freedom of Movement and Humanitarian Aid Provision in the Mexico-US Borderlands

On January 14, 2008, under the wider program of the Arizona Denial Prosecution Initiative, Operation Streamline was put into effect in the Tucson Sector of the Mexico-US borderlands. Initially implemented in Del Rio, Texas, this program—aimed at mass incarceration of undocumented persons to reduce repeated migration attempts—has been most rigorously applied in the Tucson Sector, known as both the busiest and deadliest corridor for migration. Every day approximately seventy migrants are apprehended by the US Border Patrol and then sentenced for up to 180 days imprisonment. I consider Operation Streamline and its impacts on undocumented migrants through the lens of local organizing, particularly by the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, asserting that such policies—which further militarize the border and justify criminalization of migrants in the public eye—put bodies at greater risk, even before they are prosecuted, through practices of spatial containment that add to the rigours of crossing the Sonoran Desert. In this work I explore the methods in which grassroots humanitarian aid groups apply practices of direct action to challenge such policies and promote freedom of movement.Le 14 Janvier 2008, dans le cadre de l’« Arizona Denial Prosecution Initiative », le programme « Operation Streamline » est entré en vigueur dans le secteur Tucson de la zone frontalière entre le Mexique et les États-Unis. D’abord mis en œuvre à Del Rio, Texas, ce programme visant l’incarcération massive des sans-papiers afin de réduire les tentatives répétées de migration a été le plus rigoureusement appliquée dans le secteur Tucson, couloir migratoire ayant la réputation d’ être le plus achalandé et le plus meurtrier. Chaque jour, environ soixante-dix migrants sont appréhendés par la US Border Patrol, puis condamnés à un maximum de 180 jours d’emprisonnement. L’auteur considère le programme « Operation Streamline » et ses impacts sur les sans-papiers à travers le prisme de l’organi-sation locale, en particulier du groupe d’aide humanitaire No More Deaths, affirmant que de telles politiques, qui militarisent davantage la frontière et justifient la criminalisation des migrants au yeux du grand public, exposent les sans-papiers à un risque accru, avant même qu’ils soient traduits en justice, à travers des pratiques de confinement spatial qui ajoutent aux rigueurs de la traversée du désert de Sonora. Dans cet article, l’auteur étudie les méthodes par lesquelles les groupes d’aide humanitaire populaires font appel à la pratique de l’action directe pour contester ces politiques et promouvoir la liberté de mouvement

Cultural Integration and Hybridization at the United States-Mexico Borderlands

Cultural hybridity is a relatively neglected issue in globalization studies. The term refers to the production of novel cultural forms and practices through the merging of previously separate antecedents. Hybridization is different from integration, in which interdependencies develop while the antecedents remain unaltered. Recent evidence from the United States-Mexico borderlands reveals several forms of integration and hybridization, including large-scale population migration, economic integration, adjustments in law and politics, cultural mixing, and transformations in identity. Although trends toward cultural integration and hybridity are not always positive, such postborder tendencies are regarded as cause for optimism regarding the relations between Mexico and the United States.La question du métissage culturel est relativement négligée dans les études portant sur la mondialisation. Ce terme fait référence à la production de nouvelles formes et pratiques culturelles à travers le mélange d’antécédents séparés à l’origine. Le métissage diffère de l’intégration, au cours de laquelle des interdépendances se développent tandis que les antécédents restent intacts. Des données récentes recueillies dans les régions frontalières du Mexique et des États-Unis révèlent plusieurs formes d’intégration et de métissage, incluant les mouvements de population à grande échelle, l’intégration économique, les ajustements législatifs et politiques, le mélange culturel et les transformations identitaires. Bien que les courants menant à l’intégration et au métissage culturel ne soient pas toujours positifs, de telles tendances post-frontalières peuvent mener à des considérations optimistes en ce qui concerne les relations entre le Mexique et les États-Unis

Tube Waves, Seismic Waves And Effective Sources

A simple asymptotic analysis, based on the smallness of the ratio of the borehole radius to the wavelength, reveals the interaction between tube waves and seismic waves. The pressure field in a tube wave acts as a secondary source of seismic waves and conversely an incoming seismic wave excites a tube wave. The asymptotic analysis leads to a characterization of these sources in terms of the solution to two-dimensional elastostatic problems. These may be solved exactly when the borehole has an elliptical cross-section even in an anisotropic formation. Also the borehole need not be straight provided that its radius of curvature is large compared with a wavelength

The limits of procedural discretion:Unequal treatment and vulnerability in Britain’s asylum appeals

This is the final version of the article. Available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.Studies of procedural in-court judicial discretion have highlighted a dilemma between the imperative to reduce it owing to its potential misuse and preserve it owing to its importance in protecting vulnerable groups. This article offers a new framework with which to enter this debate and new quantitative empirical evidence that favours the former position over the latter. Drawing upon 240 in-person observations of Britain’s First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), the article demonstrates that judicial discretionary behaviour that is either vulnerability-neutral, vulnerability-amplifying or correlated with extraneous factors outweighs vulnerability-redressing behaviour, despite the sensitivity of this particular jurisdiction and the guidelines that consequently exist for judges. These findings lend support to calls to limit judicial procedural discretion. The article concludes by offering some cost-effective suggestions about how to do so.The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, grant number ES/J023426/1

Inconsistency in asylum appeal adjudication

Open access journalNew research findings indicate that factors such as the gender of the judge and of the appellant, and where the appellant lives, are influencing asylum appeal adjudication.Economic and Social Research Counci

Integrated approach to cardiovascular disease in people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Homelessness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), beyond impact of socioeconomic status. CVD is preventable and treatable, though barriers to interventions exist for people experiencing homelessness. Those with lived experience of homelessness and health professionals with relevant expertise can help to understand and address these barriers. OBJECTIVES: To understand, and make recommendations to improve, CVD care in homeless populations through lived and professional expertise. METHOD: Four focus groups were conducted in March-July 2019. Three groups included people currently or previously experiencing homelessness, each attended by a cardiologist (AB), a health services researcher (PB) and an 'expert by experience' (SB) who coordinated participants. One group included multidisciplinary health and social care professionals in and around London to explore solutions. PARTICIPANTS: The three groups included 16 men and 9 women, aged 20-60 years, of whom 24 were homeless and currently living in hostels, and 1 rough sleeper. At least 14 discussed sleeping rough at some point. RESULTS: Participants were aware of CVD risks and relevance of healthy habits but identified barriers to prevention and health access, starting with disorientation affecting planning and self-care, lack of facilities for food, hygiene and exercise, and experiences of discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: CVD care for those experiencing homelessness should account for fundamental problems of the environment, be codesigned with service users and cover key principles: flexibility, public and staff education, integration of support and advocacy for health service rights