Election Series | Border Policy, Organized Crime, and Migration Between Mexico and the US

Migration between the United States and Mexico hit a record high last year and persists as a key issue in the bilateral relationship. While migrant flows dominate media coverage in the United States, little attention is given to the intersection between border policy, migration, and organized crime. Despite best efforts in both countries to limit migration, organized crime appears to have taken advantage of vulnerable migrants and exacerbated a human crisis on Mexico’s southern and norther borders. Beyond drug and arms trafficking, human smuggling, extortion of migrants, and targeted kidnappings have all become lucrative activities for crime groups throughout Mexico, and especially along its borders.
To assess the overall landscape of criminal activity related to migrants, the Mexico Institute will host a webinar with scholars and experts from the US and Mexico moderated by Wilson Center Global Fellow Eric Olson.