Human Smuggling
Coyotes and The Business of Human Smuggling
Coyote is a word that usually brings about an image of the animal, but within the culture of Mexico and South America, they picture a whole different beast. Coyote to these people is the name for a smuggler who facilitates the migration of people across the U.S. border and makes a profit. In Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario we get a quick glimpse into this dangerous trade, but how deep is this business? Human smuggling has become a world-wide industry that ‘employs’ every year millions of people and leads to the annual turnover of billions of dollars.
In general, human smuggling is growing at an extensive rate due to the strict border controls as well as the growing demographic and the imbalance of it in the world. Human smuggling rings range from small to large scale performers in the transnational market. In the past, human smuggling operations tended to be more limited and unorganized, but as human smuggling continues to flourish, there human smuggling rings are becoming more extensive and organized by the day. In Mexico, the once informal business of smuggling has grown into a overpowering web of "literally hundreds of syndicates, some at a low level and some at the kingpin level". (Jordan) With this development, there has been a new organization within coyotes to open opportunities for non-Mexicans to use this system as well. To further express this complexity, it’s a common occurrence for immigrants to be smuggles to not just across the border, but to sever countries across the globe before ever making it to their destination.
Over the last decade, human smuggling has grown into a sophisticated service industry, with specific enclaves and routes used by smugglers becoming almost official; for example: “from Mexico and Central America to the United States, from West Asia through Greece and Turkey to Western Europe, and within East and Southeast Asia.” (Väyrynen) There are a combination of interacting
Coyote is a word that usually brings about an image of the animal, but within the culture of Mexico and South America, they picture a whole different beast. Coyote to these people is the name for a smuggler who facilitates the migration of people across the U.S. border and makes a profit. In Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario we get a quick glimpse into this dangerous trade, but how deep is this business? Human smuggling has become a world-wide industry that ‘employs’ every year millions of people and leads to the annual turnover of billions of dollars.
In general, human smuggling is growing at an extensive rate due to the strict border controls as well as the growing demographic and the imbalance of it in the world. Human smuggling rings range from small to large scale performers in the transnational market. In the past, human smuggling operations tended to be more limited and unorganized, but as human smuggling continues to flourish, there human smuggling rings are becoming more extensive and organized by the day. In Mexico, the once informal business of smuggling has grown into a overpowering web of "literally hundreds of syndicates, some at a low level and some at the kingpin level". (Jordan) With this development, there has been a new organization within coyotes to open opportunities for non-Mexicans to use this system as well. To further express this complexity, it’s a common occurrence for immigrants to be smuggles to not just across the border, but to sever countries across the globe before ever making it to their destination.
Over the last decade, human smuggling has grown into a sophisticated service industry, with specific enclaves and routes used by smugglers becoming almost official; for example: “from Mexico and Central America to the United States, from West Asia through Greece and Turkey to Western Europe, and within East and Southeast Asia.” (Väyrynen) There are a combination of interacting
Cited: Ashcroft, John. "Characteristics of Chinese Human Smugglers." National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Aug. 2004. Web. 16 Apr. 2011. . Bhabha, Jacqueline. "Trafficking, Smuggling, and Human Rights." Migration Information Source. Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. . Jordan, Mary. "People Smuggling Now Big Business in Mexico." Washington Post 1 May 2001, A01 ed. Print. McGill, Craig. Human Traffic: Sex, Slaves and Immigration. London: Vision, 2003. Print. Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey: The story of a boy’s dangerous odyssey to reunite with his mother. New York; Random House, 2007. Print. Petros, Melanie. “The costs of human smuggling and trafficking,” Global Migration Perspectives, No.31, April 2005. 2-16. PDF Sarrica, Fabrizio. "Decapitating the Snakeheads." The Economist [London] 6 Oct. 2005. Print. Väyrynen, Raimo. Illegal Immigration, Human Trafficking, and Organized Crime. Working paper no. 9291905305. Vol. 72. UNU-WIDER, 2003. Print. "Fact Sheet: Distinctions Between Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking 2006." U.S. Department of State. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .