Multifaceted profiling and violence: Experiences of Mexican and Central American migrants to the United States.

Abstract

In this chapter, we use the term "migrant" to reflect the reality that many people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border fit neither into the category of immigrant (i.e., implying economic need) nor into the category of refugee (i.e., referring to a status that confers protections based on harms experienced in the country of origin). Refugee status reflects state acknowledgment of experiences of harm or persecution, rather than the reality of these experiences themselves. However, we use the term "immigration" in referring to U.S. policies and laws.