Climate or Enforcement? The Spatiotemporality of Border Crosser Mortality and Thermoregulation in Southern Arizona
Topics: Immigration/Transnationalism
, Temporal GIS
, Health and Medical
Keywords: U.S.-Mexico border, remote sensing, deterrence, forensics, structural violence, GIS
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 45
Authors:
Samuel N Chambers, Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona
Geoffrey A Boyce, Border Studies Program, Earlham College
Daniel E Martínez, School of Sociology, The University of Arizona
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Abstract
Public officials in the United States have commonly argued that high temperatures are responsible for increasing mortality of undocumented border crossers in southern Arizona. Heat exposure is a primary cause of death in the region; however, prior studies have also shown that migration patterns have shifted toward more remote and rugged terrain, characterized by higher elevations and greater shade cover. Using physiological modeling and a spatiotemporal forensic analysis, we test whether the distribution of human remains has shifted toward locations characterized by environments where the human body is more or less likely to be capable of regulating core temperature, and thus succumbing to heat stress. Our findings show that the distribution of human remains has consistently trended toward locations where the potential for heat stress is lower, rather than higher. This suggests that increasing mortality is not principally a function of increases in ambient or regional temperature, but rather is a result of a series of policy decisions that lead to cumulative stress and prolonged exposure due to factors like time and distance of travel. To contextualize these findings, we discuss the evolution of the United States Border Patrol’s policy of Prevention Through Deterrence, and theorize the deadly outcomes of this policy using the concept of structural violence.
Climate or Enforcement? The Spatiotemporality of Border Crosser Mortality and Thermoregulation in Southern Arizona
Category
Virtual Paper Abstract
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