Relational enforcement: The family and the expanding scope of border enforcement

Abstract

Scholars have increasingly focused on the role of the family within border enforcement practices. In this paper, we build on and extend these research efforts to propose a research agenda driven by a new understanding of the relationship between families and immigration enforcement. Drawing on examinations of emerging enforcement strategies, including family separation and public information campaigns, we suggest that the family as a social unit and set of relationships is increasingly targeted within the regulation of transnational migration, what we term “relational enforcement.” Greater attention to relational enforcement tactics, processes, and impacts helps to frame geographies of border enforcement.