Abstract
In Borderline Slavery: Mexico, United States, and the Human Trade, Susan Tiano and Moira Murphy-Anguilar compile an excellent collection of essays that explore human trafficking between the United States and the Mexican border. Human trafficking is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world—surpassed only by the illegal drug and weapons trade (p. 106); and this book provides the social, economic, and legal analysis behind this multibillion-dollar industry. The authors describe human trafficking as “the involuntary transport of men, women and children within and across national borders for purposes of exploitation, extortion, and other kinds of victimization” (p. 4). Ultimately, the aim of this book is to dispel the “misleading stereotypes and shed light on the reality of the human trade” (p. 5).
Borderline Slavery is a compilation of 15 articles and is divided into four parts. Part 1: The Global Context: Setting the Stage for Sex and Labor Trafficking provides a global, historical, and theoretical framework that underlies human trafficking. It also touches on the popular fear of immigration, and the misguided policies that restrict what have tended to be normative international migration practices. It also discusses migration and its connections to freedom, particularly within the realms of economic welfare, collective security, and human rights—and the trafficking of women and girls who are typically forced into prostitution or coercive labor. Part II: Human Trafficking in Mexico explores human trafficking in Mexico, which is sometimes a source, a destination, or just a layover en route to the industrialized North. This section also looks at the distinctions between human smuggling and human trafficking (human smuggling being voluntary whereas human trafficking is coercive and is grounded on deception). It also traces the causes of human trafficking in Mexico—which tend to be rooted in violence, inequality, and extreme poverty. Additionally, this section also discusses Mexico’s current efforts to combat human trafficking. Part III: Human Trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico Border focuses on human trafficking regionally, chiefly along the U.S.-Mexican border. This section discusses the implications of law enforcement focusing more attention on drugs, undocumented migration, and smugglings rather than human trafficking. In addition, this section takes us through the strategies that smugglers employ to trap their victims, and the transnational networks involved in this bourgeoning enterprise. And finally, Part IV: Combating Human Trafficking: Coordinated Responses Across Communities and Borders analyzes the various obstacles that victims face in light of political and legal roadblocks. This section is policy focused, and presents various recommendations to policymakers about strategies that may abate human trafficking between the U.S. and Mexican border.
Borderline Slavery presents an impressive collection that sheds light on one of the most pressing human rights tragedies of the twenty-first century. This book poses important challenges surrounding the modern human slave trade, yet still manages to offer cogent policy suggestions that may prevent and mitigate human trafficking. It is strongly recommended to scholars in the fields of international relations, public policy, law, migration studies, and those interested in social justice.