Operation Gatekeeper: The Rise of the “Illegal Alien” and the Remaking of the U.S. – Mexico Boundary

By 1994 American anti-immigration rhetoric had reached a fevered pitch, and throngs of migrants entered the U.S. nightly. In response, the INS launched Operation Gatekeeper, the centerpiece of the Clinton administration's unprecedented effort to regain control of our borders. In Operation Gatekeeper , Joseph Nevins details the administration's dramatic overhaul of the San Diego-Tijauna border-the busiest land crossing in the world-adding miles of new fence and hundreds of trained agents. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgments......Page 7 Foreword......Page 9 1. Introduction......Page 12 2. The Creation of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary and the Remaking of the United States and Mexico in the Border Region......Page 23 3. Local Context and the Creation of Difference in the Border Region......Page 43 4. The Bounding of the United States and the Emergence of Operation Gatekeeper......Page 61 5. The Ideological Roots of the “Illegal”: The “Other” as Threat and the Rise of The Boundary as the Symbol of Protection......Page 89 6. The Effects and Significance of the Bounding of the United States......Page 113 7. Nationalism, the Territorial State, and the Construction of Boundary-Related Identities......Page 136 8. Conclusion: Searching for Security in an Age of Intensifying Globalization......Page 148 Appendix A......Page 168 Appendix B......Page 169 Appendix C......Page 170 Appendix D......Page 171 Appendix E......Page 172 Appendix F......Page 175 Appendix F......Page 177 Appendix G......Page 179 Notes......Page 180 Bibliography......Page 232 Index......Page 268 Provides An Immensely Readable Account Of What Has Become An Increasingly Central Concern For Developed Nations: Keeping Third World Immigrants Out. Introduction -- The Creation Of The U.s.-mexico Boundary And The Remaking Of The United States And Mexico In The Border Region -- Local Context And The Creation Of Difference In The Border Region -- The Bounding Of The United States And The Emergence Of Operation Gatekeeper -- The Ideological Roots Of The Illegal: The Other As Threat And The Rise Of The Boundary As The Symbol Of Protection -- The Effects And Significance Of The Bounding Of The United States -- Nationalism, The Territorial State, And The Construction Of Boundary-related Identities. Joseph Nevins. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [247]-274) And Index. In March 1999, I accompanied a group of students from the University of California, Los Angeles to San Diego and Tijuana for a one-day tour of the U.S.-Mexico border region in southern California. With a journalist's eye for detail, Nevins provides an immensely readable account of what has become an increasingly central concern for developed nations: keeping third world immigrants out. A political geographical division between Mexico and the United States is inevitable as the two countries represent neighboring and distinct politicoterritorial entities.