Prevention Through Deterrence

Prevention Through Deterrence is a set of policies instituted by the United States to deter the illegal crossing of its southern border with Mexico.

[2]Many migrants also chose to cross the Río Bravo which separates northeast Mexico from Texas because this area is known to have less border security.

[7] The United States Government relies on the environment of the Sonoran Desert to deter these migrants without much help from the border enforcement agency.

[9] When Chinese laborers were denied entrance they would enter the United States illegally through the southern border with Mexico.

[10] According to anthropologist Jason De León, it was during the implementation of the Act that an early application of prevention through deterrence by the immigration agents occurred.

[6] Scholars state, "from their earliest work [by] enforcing the Chinese Exclusion Acts [enacted in 1882], immigration authorities [have] discovered that the desert and mountain wilderness [can] be made effective allies in the fight against undocumented entry".

[1] By using terms like "tactical advantage" and "deterring", government documents format prevention through deterrence as a humane but powerful strategy.

[6] Without taking into account undetermined causes of death, most migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert have died due to environmental exposure.

[2] Several members of No Más Muertes have been given tickets or arrested for leaving water in the Sonoran Desert in order to assist migrants.