Risks in irregular migration of Mexican minors to the United States

Abstract

This article reports partial results of an anthropological study of Mexican minor migrants repatriated from the United States across the Tamaulipas/Texas border. The author's aim is to analyze some of the potential risks these young people face on their journey. The study is based on documentary sources and interviews with male and female teens between the ages of 14 and 17 from Southern and Central Mexico, who were housed at a Tamaulipas Center for the Care of Border Minors. Specifically, the study deals with risks such as being the possible victims of the region's organized crime, contacting coyotes (human smugglers), being taken by them to "safe houses," crossing the Rio Grande, and, finally, being detained by Border Patrol agents.