Shadows on the Border

Robert Aneyci
English Literature
UC Irvine

The 1994 passage of NAFTA led to an enormous increase in commerce between the United States and Mexico. Less welcome has been the exponential rise in illegal immigration and the drug trade, currently estimated at thirty billion dollars a year. These issues have militarized the border, wreaked havoc in Mexican cities, and become central political concerns in both countries. Lost in the rhetoric and the fear-mongering are the lives distorted by the social upheaval. My research presents the stories of individuals living in the shadow of the border. The importance of such stories goes beyond a reducible “human interest” element. Rather, it is impossible to create successful policies unless attention is paid to the motivations and needs of individuals most affected by them.