A Crisis of Bodies at the Border: The Weaponization of Reproductive Injustice against the Latinx Body at the US-Mexico Border

Abstract

My project utilizes reproductive justice frameworks to critically analyze and critique US immigration policy. I use primary source historical records, interviews, and scholarly secondhand sources to shape my portrayal of the realities at the border. I explore the processes before, during, and after border crossings to guide the reader through the journeys of immigrant women. In this thesis I make some broader connections between unrest about the border and reproductive justice crises we see today, especially in a post-Dobbs era. I argue that controlling the bodies and the reproductive lives of immigrants is a covert tool employed by the state to weaponize discrimination and to render vulnerable populations invisible. To begin, I will look at the prejudices embedded in current policy and how those tie directly to reproductive harm. For example, I’ll look at the histories tying deviant sexualities to racial identities and how that shapes efforts to control reproduction. After establishing the greater motivations behind immigration prejudice, I will take the audience on a journey from before the border to post-migration, detailing all the points where reproductive injustice takes place. Finally, using the critiques of the current system, I explore recommendations for how a different set of border policies can better ensure reproductive rights.