Undoing Border Imperialism

1. Border Imperialism: A System of Displacement and Control

Far from preventing violence, the border is in fact the reason it occurs.

Global Apartheid. Border imperialism is not just about lines on a map; it's a system that creates and maintains global inequalities. It involves the mass displacement of people through colonialism and capitalism, coupled with the militarization of borders to prevent their movement. This system benefits Western powers by securing resources and cheap labor while denying accountability for the displacement it causes.

• Displacement is driven by:
  • Imperialist wars and occupations (e.g., Afghanistan, Iraq)
  • Neoliberal trade agreements (e.g., NAFTA)
  • Climate change and environmental destruction
• Borders are fortified to:
  • Control the movement of displaced people
  • Protect the interests of Western states and corporations
  • Maintain a global system of apartheid

Beyond Benevolence. The idea that Western states are benevolent towards migrants is a myth. Border imperialism reveals how these states actively create the conditions for displacement and then deny entry and dignity to those seeking refuge. This system is not accidental; it is a deliberate strategy to maintain global power structures.

Interconnected Violences. Border imperialism is a nexus of interconnected violences. It links the dispossession of communities, the criminalization of migrants, the exploitation of labor, and the reinforcement of racial hierarchies. Understanding these connections is crucial for dismantling the system.

2. Criminalization of Migration: Manufacturing "Illegals"

We should not . . . be asking subjects how, why, and under what right they can agree to being subjugated, but showing how actual relations of subjugation manufacture subjects.

State as Victim. The criminalization of migration is a deliberate process that constructs migrants as "illegals" and "criminals" who are a threat to the state. This narrative justifies the detention, deportation, and dehumanization of migrants, while obscuring the root causes of migration.

• Migrants are portrayed as:
  • Threats to national security
  • Disease-ridden and fraudulent
  • Violators of state borders

Carceral Network. Migrant detention centers are part of an expanding prison-industrial complex that profits from the incarceration of marginalized communities. This system is not just about punishment; it's about control, surveillance, and the creation of a disposable workforce.

• Private prison corporations profit from migrant detention
• Detention centers are often sites of abuse and human rights violations
• The carceral network extends beyond prisons to include surveillance and control mechanisms

Beyond Individual Blame. The criminalization of migration is not about individual actions; it's about systemic forces that create and maintain a racialized hierarchy of citizenship. By focusing on the "illegality" of migrants, the state deflects attention from its own role in creating displacement and exploitation.

3. Racialized Hierarchies: The Foundation of Exclusion

The racialization of these Others is maintained and communicated through a focus on the inferiorization, deviantization and naturalization of difference.

Whiteness as the Norm. Border imperialism is deeply rooted in white supremacy, which constructs whiteness as the norm and all other races as "others." This racialized hierarchy determines who is considered a legitimate citizen and who is deemed an outsider.

• Racialization is a process that:
  • Constructs essentialist and monolithic racial categories
  • Justifies the exploitation and oppression of people of color
  • Maintains a hierarchy of citizenship

Islamophobia and the War on Terror. The "War on Terror" has further entrenched racialized hierarchies by targeting Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities. This has led to increased surveillance, discrimination, and the construction of these communities as "eternal outsiders."

• Muslims are often portrayed as:
  • Potential terrorists
  • Threats to Western values
  • Enemies of the state

Gendered Dimensions. Racialized hierarchies are also gendered, with women of color often facing unique forms of oppression. The rhetoric of "saving" Muslim women is used to justify imperialist wars and interventions, while simultaneously targeting Muslim women within the West for scrutiny and violence.

4. Labor Exploitation: The Engine of Border Imperialism

Without the border, there would be no differential zones of labor, no spaces to realize surplus capital through the dumping of overproduction, no way of patrolling surly populations that might want to resist proletarianization, no release valve for speculative access.

Disposable Labor. Border imperialism creates a pool of disposable labor by denying full legal status to migrant and undocumented workers. This allows capitalist interests to exploit workers with low wages, poor working conditions, and minimal legal protections.

• Migrant workers are often:
  • Subject to wage theft and abuse
  • Denied access to basic social services
  • Forced to live in precarious conditions

State-Mediated Exploitation. The state plays a key role in facilitating the exploitation of migrant labor through temporary worker programs and the denial of legal status. This ensures a flexible and expendable workforce that can be easily controlled and deported.

• Temporary worker programs:
  • Tie workers to specific employers
  • Create conditions akin to modern-day slavery
  • Deny workers basic rights and protections

Racialized Labor Markets. The exploitation of migrant labor is intertwined with racialized hierarchies. Migrants of color are often relegated to the lowest-paying and most dangerous jobs, reinforcing their status as "outsiders" and "illegals."

5. Direct Support: Grounding Resistance in Community

The process of grassroots community organizing—resisting together and building solidarities against the various modes of governance constituted through borders—leads to the generation of transnational relations.

Beyond Charity. Direct support work is not about charity; it's about solidarity. It involves working alongside migrants to provide practical assistance, build community, and challenge the systems that oppress them.

• Direct support includes:
  • Legal advocacy and support
  • Mobilizing community support
  • Providing emotional and material assistance
  • Organizing public actions and campaigns

Empowerment and Consciousness-Raising. Direct support work is not just about meeting immediate needs; it's about empowering migrants to lead their own struggles and develop a critical understanding of the systems they are fighting against.

• Support work aims to:
  • Break isolation and shame
  • Challenge the narrative of "illegality"
  • Build collective power and resistance

Political Action. Direct support work is inherently political. It challenges the state's authority and creates spaces for migrants to assert their rights and dignity. It is a form of resistance that is rooted in the lived experiences of those most impacted by border imperialism.

6. Status for All: Prefiguring a World Without Borders

We envision and actively strive for a humanity where everyone has the right to sustenance and the ability to provide it, where we are free of oppression, misery, and exploitation, and are able to live meaningfully in relationship to one another and in reverence for Mother Earth that sustains us.

Beyond Legal Status. The demand for "Status for All" is not just about legal recognition; it's about creating a world where all people have the right to live with dignity and security, regardless of their immigration status.

• Status for All means:
  • Regularization programs for all undocumented migrants
  • Access to basic services and social protections
  • An end to detentions and deportations

Sanctuary Zones. Creating sanctuary zones is a way of prefiguring a world without borders. These are spaces where undocumented migrants can access services and build community without fear of deportation.

• Sanctuary zones include:
  • Schools, shelters, and health centers
  • Neighborhoods and community spaces
  • Places where immigration enforcement is not welcome

Challenging State Authority. The demand for "Status for All" challenges the state's authority to determine who is worthy of citizenship and belonging. It asserts the inherent value and dignity of all human beings.

7. Abolishing Security Certificates: Challenging State Power

The very name and its various invocations, such as “No Human is Illegal,” “Personne n’est illegal,” and “Nadie es illegal,” emphasize that all humans are inherently worthy and valuable, and that policies that illegalize human beings are legal and moral fictions.

Secret Trials. Security certificates are a tool of state repression that allows the government to detain and deport noncitizens without due process. These secret trials are a violation of basic human rights and a manifestation of Islamophobia and racism.

• Security certificates:
  • Allow for indefinite detention without charge
  • Rely on secret evidence and vague allegations
  • Target Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities

Grassroots Resistance. The campaign to abolish security certificates is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing. It has brought together diverse communities to challenge state power and demand justice for those targeted by the security apparatus.

• The campaign has involved:
  • Legal challenges and advocacy
  • Public education and awareness campaigns
  • Direct action and civil disobedience

Beyond Legal Reform. The campaign to abolish security certificates is not just about legal reform; it's about challenging the underlying logic of state power and the racist and Islamophobic narratives that justify its use. It is a call for the abolition of the security apparatus.

8. Indigenous Solidarity: Decolonizing Migrant Justice

We belong to Mother Earth in whom no one has claim over—and where there aren’t any borders.

Settler Colonialism. Migrant justice movements must recognize that they are operating on stolen Indigenous lands. Settler colonialism is a system of ongoing dispossession and genocide that must be actively challenged.

• Settler colonialism involves:
  • The theft of Indigenous lands and resources
  • The destruction of Indigenous cultures and governance
  • The ongoing marginalization and oppression of Indigenous peoples

Beyond Optional Alliance. Solidarity with Indigenous struggles is not optional; it is a necessary component of migrant justice. Migrants of color are implicated in settler colonialism and have a responsibility to challenge it.

• Solidarity involves:
  • Supporting Indigenous land defense movements
  • Amplifying Indigenous voices and perspectives
  • Challenging the colonial foundations of the state

Interconnected Struggles. The struggles for migrant justice and Indigenous self-determination are interconnected. Both are fighting against systems of oppression that seek to control and exploit people and the land.

9. Anticapitalist Resistance: Linking Struggles for Liberation

Those who seek refuge, who are rarely accorded a voice, are nevertheless the bodies that confront the injustice of the world.

Capitalism and Displacement. Capitalism is a major driver of displacement and migration. It creates conditions of poverty, inequality, and environmental destruction that force people to move in search of survival.

• Capitalism relies on:
  • The exploitation of labor and resources
  • The creation of a flexible and disposable workforce
  • The commodification of land and nature

Beyond Single-Issue Organizing. Migrant justice movements must be linked to broader struggles against capitalism, imperialism, and all forms of oppression. This requires building alliances with labor unions, antiwar groups, environmental activists, and other social movements.

• Anticapitalist resistance involves:
  • Challenging the power of corporations and financial institutions
  • Demanding economic justice and equality
  • Creating alternative economic systems

Local and Global. Anticapitalist resistance must be both local and global. It requires building community power at the grassroots level while also challenging the global structures of capitalism and empire.

10. Decolonization: A Journey Toward Collective Liberation

Decolonization demands the valuing of Indigenous sovereignty in its material, psychological, epistemological, and spiritual forms.

Beyond Resistance. Decolonization is not just about resisting oppression; it's about creating a new world based on principles of equity, justice, and self-determination. It is a process of reclaiming our humanity and our connection to the Earth.

• Decolonization involves:
  • Dismantling colonial structures and ideologies
  • Reclaiming Indigenous knowledge and traditions
  • Creating alternative forms of governance and social relations

Healing and Emotional Justice. Decolonization requires healing from the trauma of colonialism and oppression. This involves creating communities of care that prioritize emotional well-being and mutual support.

• Healing justice involves:
  • Addressing personal, collective, and systemic trauma
  • Creating spaces for healing and transformation
  • Building relationships based on empathy and compassion

Revolutionary Love. Decolonization is ultimately about love—a love for ourselves, for each other, and for the Earth. It is a love that compels us to fight for a better world and to create communities where all people can thrive.

Last updated: April 23, 2025