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The Minutemen and Neoliberal State Activity: Towards an Understanding of Private Border Patrols

New Proposals: Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Inquiry

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Title The Minutemen and Neoliberal State Activity: Towards an Understanding of Private Border Patrols
 
Creator Molina, Devin T.
 
Subject
neoliberalism, border security, immigration, minutemen, the state
 
Description This paper explores the emergence of the minutemen and other private border patrol organizations as both a response to and outgrowth of neoliberalism. The minutemen oppose many of the effects of neoliberal economic policies such as permeable borders, but support many of its ideological underpinnings and outcomes such as ideologies of personal responsibility and opposition to “Big Government.” While the minutemen and the state engage in collaborative efforts to interdict and apprehend undocumented immigrants at the border, the minutemen do not effectively broaden the state’s ability to successfully stem illicit flows across its borders. Instead, minuteman activities provide valuable ideological and discursive support to the state that further legitimates failed border security efforts. Thus, the minutemen often work in ways that diminish their ability to achieve their organization’s political aims. On the other hand, because the minutemen rely exclusively on Border Patrol agents to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants, the state empowers minuteman action. Understanding how the minutemen operate and their relationship to the state can thus provide insight into the relationships between civil society and the state under neoliberalism. Doing so can highlight the ways that neoliberalism remains a dominant yet incomplete process rife with contradictory pressures.
 
Publisher New Proposals Publishing Society
 
Contributor
 
Date 2011-04-11
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/newproposals/article/view/1849
 
Source New Proposals: Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Inquiry; Vol 4, No 2 (2011); 59-66
1715-6718
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/newproposals/article/view/1849/2126
 
Coverage