Archaeological Research Facility

The crossing of the United States/Mexico border is a dangerous one, so there must be a “push and pull” factor leading many of these individuals to make the journey. This research has based its framework on forensic anthropology work addressing these questions in the past, however, it became clear that identifying and examining those that died crossing the border does not necessarily address the issues or questions in regard to the emotional, social, and political reasons for leaving their country. During the span of this research 30 individuals who have crossed the border within the last 20 years were interviewed. This was done in order to gain an understanding of why they decided to cross. These in person interviews lasted an hour and asked approximately 13 questions. Individuals were asked questions regarding where they were from, their life before crossing, during crossing, and now living in the United States. Individuals were able to pinpoint specific details that led to their decision to cross. While the experiences did vary among individuals there were various social and economic commonalities that linked many of these individuals together in their reasoning to make this journey in the first place.