The failure of the current US immigration regime is most evident when studying the US-Mexican border region. Due to heightened efforts to control the border, and due to increasingly restrictive legal gates of entry for immigrants, the traditional cyclical migration flows of the region have been greatly disturbed. Irregular transit has become more dangerous for migrants, resulting in an increasing number of deaths. One recent danger factor comes from a grass-roots vigilante movement. Organizations of this movement work through direct action to eliminate irregular migration via the US-Mexican border. The activities of these organizations are only aiding to the already-existing fundamental rights disaster along the US-Mexican border. This short article aims to provide an overview of this development, including a short introduction into the civil society and political response to these vigilante groups and their politics.

Links:
Minuteman Project (Vigilantes)
Isackson, A. State-of-the-art shoes aid migrants (BBC News, 17 November 2005)
Border Action Network
Reports of Pew Hispanic Center:
Passel, J.S. (2005) Unauthorized Migrants. Numbers and Characteristics
Passel, J. S. and S. Roberto (2005), Rise, Peak, and Decline. Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992-2004