Presenter(s): Samantha Sidline—International Studies
Faculty Mentor(s): Kristin Yarris
Session 1: Time for Your Check-Up—Decolonizing Global Health
The implementation of new policy at the US-Mexico border has only exacerbated the humanitarian crisis experienced by border communities and asylum-seekers . The Migrant Protection Protocols are already affecting asylum-seekers attempting to enter the United States from Mexico . Policies like the MPP disenfranchise migrants by creating the conditions in which fleeing families are vulnerable to a system that is unsupportive of their rights, exposing them to various forms of violence and hostility . Families must now wait in Mexico for unspecified periods of time for the duration of their immigration proceedings . Inevitably, policies like this one produce environments of uncertainty and neglect the framework which recognizes immigration as a determinant of health . This thesis aims to position the current asylum-seeker experience at the US-Mexico border as one at the whim of frequent United States policy changes and how this instability may impact migrant health negatively . The reality of asylum-seekers’ experiences is detailed through my participant observation research in Tijuana, where the effects of the MPP are lived day-to-day . Interviews with community workers addressing the humanitarian crisis at the border deconstruct the embodiment of such policies in asylum-seekers while simultaneously demonstrating how community support can aim to negate the harmful impacts of policy . This research will show how policy determines the livelihood of asylum-seekers coming into the United States and recognizes community networks’ role in migrant community health and fostering solidarity .