Introduction: Mass Deportation and the Neoliberal Cycle

Editor's Notes

• #7: Eric’s story lays bare what I call a “neoliberal cycle” because of the inter-related nature of each of the events in Eric’s life, and their connection to neoliberal reforms – economic changes focused on opening up the economy to global markets and reducing state spending on social welfare. Eric’s family felt compelled to leave Guatemala because of the economic havoc neoliberalism wreaked in their home country (Robinson 2000; 2008). Once in the United States, Eric’s mother found a low-wage job in the garment industry. Manufacturers have moved most garment industry jobs abroad, and those jobs that remain are low-paid and offer few to no benefits (Louie 2001). As an undocumented worker, Eric’s mother was less likely to challenge her low pay and lack of benefits. When she became ill, there was no safety net – another factor related to cutbacks in social services under neoliberalism (Harvey 2005; Wacquant 2009). Eric was forced to leave school and work two jobs to support his family. Although the state did not provide resources to help this family in troubled times, the coercive arm of the state is robust. California built twenty-three major prisons between 1984 and 2005, amidst growing poverty and inequality (Gilmore 2007). The state spends more money on law enforcement than social services, facilitating Eric’s arrest and deportation – the heavy policing of poor neighborhoods predominated by people of color made it much more likely that Eric would be arrested, even though he had not in fact committed a crime. Once arrested, Eric was placed in a private prison – privatization of public services is another key element of neoliberalism. Globalization, enhanced by neoliberal reforms, facilitates the movement of capital across borders while restricting the mobility of workers. This makes it possible for Eric, a deportee, to work for a U.S. corporation in his homeland. The arrival of 40,000 deportees a year into Guatemala ensures a steady supply of bilingual workers for this transnational corporation – about half of the workers in the call center where Eric works are deportees. Mass deportation from the United States is critical to the sustainability of neoliberalism, both here and abroad.
• #8: Overall deportations are up. Image credit: Suzy McElrath: http://thesocietypages.org/specials/deportation-numbers/
• #9: But, the trends are distinct. Most of the increase has been in the numbers of male deportees. Image credit: Suzy McElrath: http://thesocietypages.org/specials/deportation-numbers/
• #10: Specifically, Mexican and Central American men. Other groups have not seen an increase. Image credit: Suzy McElrath: http://thesocietypages.org/specials/deportation-numbers/
• #11: The vast majority of deportees are men of color.
• #13: Another important feature of deportation is the criminal/non-criminal divide The increase in criminal removals is related to the raced and gendered nature of immigration law enforcement.
• #14: Instead of making us safer, mass deportation tears families apart and prevents immigrants from applying for legalization or citizenship even when they qualify. Enhanced deportation tactics increasingly deport people with strong ties to the United States. …
• #15: Source: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/deportation-and-discretion-reviewing-record-and-options-change
• #16: I argue that neoliberalism and, by extension, global capitalism, make mass deportation of men of color possible in the current context. I argue that mass deportation is a U.S. policy response designed to relocate surplus labor to the periphery and to keep labor in the United States compliant. The U.S. public accepts this policy response because it targets men of color – people perceived to be expendable in the current economy and unwanted in the broader society. To make the argument that mass deportation is part of the neoliberal cycle of global capitalism, I explain how neoliberal economic changes created migration flows, attracted migrants to the United States, and, of late, have made migrant labor disposable
• #17: Neoliberalism is an economic ideology based on the idea that the state’s primary role is to protect property rights, free markets, and free trade. According to neoliberal ideology, the market will best address the needs of the poor: the state should not intervene and provide social assistance. The United States has implemented neoliberalism to make the country more competitive in the global economy, and to protect the interests of the corporate class. In developing countries, neoliberal reforms have been at the core of their insertion into the global economy. Countries around the world have implemented neoliberal reforms. These reforms include: 1) deregulation; 2) privatization of public enterprise; 3) trade liberalization; 4) promotion of foreign direct investment; 5) tax cuts; and 6) reduction in public expenditures (Steger 2009; Harvey 2005). Each of these neoliberal reforms is designed to bring foreign currency into the country and to ready the country to enter the global economy (Robinson 2004; 2008). The spread of neoliberalism around the globe has pulled countries into the global economy, transformed peasants into international migrants, and lured immigrants to toil in low-wage jobs in countries like the United States. Neoliberalism in developing countries has created economic conditions that lead to emigration by attracting migrants from the countryside into the cities and then creating economic instability and inequality, which makes leaving the country an attractive option. Without these disruptive economic changes in countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and the Philippines, the United States would not have had the compliant workforce it needed to make its own economic transition. The trade liberalization and incentives for foreign direct investment that are central to neoliberal reforms created the conditions abroad for U.S.-based manufacturing plants to relocate. Absent these favorable conditions, it would not make sense for U.S.-based manufacturers to outsource production. For example, U.S. manufacturers would not move to Mexico if they had to pay high tariffs on exports, or if Mexican laws required adequate wages and permitted unions to demand workers’ rights. Although neoliberalism at home and abroad has created powerful push and pull factors for labor migration, open borders for capital have not led to open borders for labor. The U.S. economy depends on immigrant labor, yet offers potential migrants few options for legal immigration. Monica Varsanyi calls this the “neoliberal paradox,” and asks, “How can nation-states manage the tensions that emerge between the seemingly contradictory forces of economic openness and political closure?” (2008: 879). Similarly, Philip Kretsedemas (2011) points to a contradiction, where neoliberal economic practices welcome new migrant flows, yet fund an enforcement apparatus designed to keep migrants out. In keeping with this, I argue that, in the context of the Great Recession, the enforcement apparatus keeps migrant labor compliant.
• #18: What are the parallels between mass incarceration and mass deportation? What are the connections between the War on Drugs and the War on Terror?
• #19: At the same time that global economic developments which encourage international migration have occurred, the United States has witnessed an augmentation of the coercive arm of the state. Michelle Alexander (2010) points out that the War on Drugs took off just as inner-city communities were experiencing economic collapse. Blue-collar factory jobs were disappearing quickly and unemployment was rising in the inner city. Loic Wacquant (2009) and Alexander both argue that mass incarceration is designed to warehouse a low-skilled, expendable, disposable labor force. The criminal justice system is not just about controlling crime; it strives to control people, especially people of color. I make a similar argument to explain mass deportation. Mass deportation is not designed to remove all unauthorized immigrants; instead it is designed to remove surplus labor and to keep labor compliant. Michelle Alexander (2010) points out that there are nearly twenty million drug users in the United States, only a fraction of whom are in prison. Similarly, the United States deports only 400,000 of its 11 million undocumented immigrants each year. Mass deportation, similar to mass incarceration, targets specific populations – those perceived as expendable.