The Beast and Contraband Corridor
The central argument of Contraband Corridor revolves around neoliberal economic policies. According to Galemba, these policies “decimated agricultural livelihoods, fostered criminal activity, and bolsters a border security agenda” (p. 10). As was discussed throughout this work, residents of Guatemala traversed through dangerous and life-threatening territories in order to seek out a better existence. “Local attitudes toward those who become Mexican are harsher than the other way around, because Mexicans believe that becoming Mexican is more desirable and difficult due to perceived better economic and educational opportunities in Mexico. In Guatemala, most border residents think that it is easier to register in the municipality because many records were destroyed during the violence of the 1980s” (p. 36).
According to Galemba, residents of the international border have the right to create their own laws, since they maintain and construct these roads with no government assistance. As one resident puts it, “The police need our permission to enter since this land is ours. The government has no right to enter since they haven’t done anything for us. There have been no programs to maintain the road…it was us who opened the path over the mountains (over the border) …So what right does the government have to interfere here”? (Galemba, p. 67) These independent “states”, according to Galemba, are quite common along the international border.
Oscar Martinez wrote many horrific tales concerning immigrants, borderlands, and narcos. His purpose in writing these was to educate the reader on the danger’s migrants had to face just to try and make a better life for themselves. In pursuit of this, the migrants had to face bandits, who were laborers and ranch hands that worked in this area. Martinez surmises that “one of these laborers may have gotten the idea that migrants walking across these trails were trying to hide from authorities. If there was an assault, a rape, or a robbery, nobody would report it” (Martinez, p. 30). This proves just how desperate the migrants were. They were willing to risk everything just cross the border. This point is further stressed by the following — “For years, undocumented migrants have considered robberies and assaults as the inevitable tolls of the road. God’s will be done” (Martinez, p. 30). It is easy to imagine how bad their living conditions in their homeland was, it they were willing to take the risk of being robbed, raped, or murdered.
I believe that Martinez’s main point in his writings is that he wants to inform the reader of the dangers and corruption involved with the borderlands and all that encompasses. Shoot outs are common in these areas and the dangers of being spotted by narcos and bandits is quite high. Martinez points out that in 2008 more than 600 people were killed in Tijuana because they were caught in the midst of narco gun battles.
“It’s a city of desperate crossings. You have to be crazy to cross here, migrants say. And with the wall, the Border Patrol, and the narcos all impeding a safe crossing, they might be right” (Martinez, p.150).
Galemba, Rebecca Berke. Contraband Corridor, Stafford University Press, 2018.
Martinez, Oscar. The Beast, Verso, 2014.
