Researcher ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3210-3207
Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
12-2024
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Professor Jean Pierre Murray
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Rights Information
2024 Guadalupe Loza-Mendez
Abstract
The consequences of weaponizing deportations reshape human security in countries receiving high levels of forcibly returned migrants. Through a comparative case study, this thesis examines how different forms of organized crime — cartels in México and gangs in El Salvador — interact with and capitalize on returnee populations. While the origins and manifestations of organized crime differ between México and El Salvador, both demonstrate clear linkages between forced return migration from destination countries and declining human security in countries of origin through three key mechanisms: imported criminal structures, targeted recruitment of vulnerable returnees, and trickle-down effects on local communities.
Many state-led reintegration efforts are frequently weakened by placement of reception centers in high-crime areas, limited follow-up services, and insufficient economic opportunities for returnees. Specifically, young male returnees with limited native language skills and those with criminal records face heightened risks of recruitment by criminal organizations. This thesis ultimately argues that deportation as a migration control mechanism generates paradoxical consequences that subverts both human security and migration management goals. By examining reintegration strategies in México and El Salvador, I propose targeted interventions that prioritize preventing recruitment into criminal networks while acknowledging origin countries' capacity constraints. These recommendations emphasize the need for differentiated services based on length of residency in the destination country language abilities, and criminal history.
Recommended Citation
Loza-Mendez, Guadalupe, "The Silent Cycle of Violence: The Consequences of Forced Return Migration and Strategies for Sustainable Reintegration" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 3816.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3816