National Security Technologies on the US-Mexico Digital Border: Tijuana, Case Study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71068/05q5hc33Keywords:
digital border; Tijuana; national security; human rights; migration.Abstract
This article examines the incorporation of national security technologies at the digital border between the United States and Mexico, using the city of Tijuana as a case study. It analyze the growth of the so-called "virtual wall," composed of biometric data, drones, sensors, high-resolution cameras, and hot-air balloons, aimed at immigration control and the protection of national security. The main objective is to analyze the contribution of these technologies to border securitization processes and their impact at the local level, with particular emphasis on the interaction between government agencies, private corporations, and affected communities. The methodology used integrates a review of academic literature, an analysis of official sources and government databases, as well as semi-structured interviews conducted during fieldwork in Tijuana. The findings indicate that the digital border reproduces social inequalities, reinforces dynamics of exclusion, and poses significant challenges to the human rights of migrants. It also observes the consolidation of a security and surveillance industrial complex that redefines the concepts of sovereignty and border space in the 21st century. In conclusion, the study identifies Tijuana as an experimental space for technological securitization that substantially transforms both territorial control and the socioeconomic and political relations in the US-Mexico border region.
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