The Trek to El Norte — Migration and Negocio

Both The Beast by Óscar Martínez and Contraband Corridor by Rebecca Galemba dive into the intricacies of migration by exploring the livelihoods of those in Central America and Mexico and their trek to El Norte. Martínez follows the paths of the migrants themselves; these individuals often come from three Central American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (2014, 270–271). Their experiences are horrific; the journey north becomes more and more treacherous the closer they get to the U.S.-Mexico border. By following some of these migrants on their journey, he experiences what they do first-hand. He witnesses their emotions, their fears, and their motivations.

Galemba’s Contraband Corridor tells another piece of the migrant story. Her work focuses on those living on the border between Guatemala and Mexico. These individuals make their living through extralegal means. Although they might be engaging in illicit trade and contraband, they do not refer to it that way. To them it is negocio, business as usual (Galemba 2018, Ch. 6). Though The Beast and Contraband Corridor tell different parts of the migrant story, the authors ultimately come to the same conclusion; no matter what is done to stymie migration, it will continue on.

Globalization is a common thread in both works. Globalization manifests itself in Galemba’s work via the stories of individuals with dual birth certificates and in Martínez’s through individuals with no birth certificate at all. Galemba’s research led her to realize that many children living on the Guatemala-Mexico border had birth certificates from both countries. It was not that the children were born in one country with parents hailing from the other, but rather, the certificates were gained through a combination of extralegal and legal processes (Galemba 2018, Ch. 6). This enabled them to gain opportunities. Galemba writes, “[b]order residents desire multiple national documents for their children to, in the words of one resident, “give them the most opportunities,” referring to the ability to work, live, marry, and travel in either country” (Ch. 6).

This is not a universally shared experience with migrants crossing into Mexico from Central America, however. Martínez describes how migrants making their way north might not even have a birth certificate. Erika, a Honduran migrant working at a brothel in Mexico, was given away along with her twin by her mother. The woman she was given to was very cruel and her twin brother ended up dying when he was six (Martínez 2014, 71). Erika states, “I’m from Honduras but I never had papers. I never had a birth certificate either. I’m like an animal” (71). Migrant women often endure hardships and sexual violence on their trek to El Norte.

Galemba shows how those living on the border might have two or three birth certificates, while Martínez shows how migrants might not have one at all. This is one of the paradoxes of the migration story. Migrants are often exploited by individuals living on the border of Mexico and Guatemala, by those living in the interior of Mexico, and by those living on the border between Mexico and the United States– Martínez highlights this story in The Beast. Those living in areas that have become economically depressed have used this influx of migration to participate in negocio– Galemba highlights this in Contraband Corridor.

References

Galemba, Rebecca Berke. Contraband Corridor: Making a Living at the Mexico-Guatemala Border. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2018.

Martínez, Óscar. The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail. London: Verso, 2014.