Citoyenneté, mondialisation et migration internationale : les réfugiés et demandeurs d’asile mexicains à Montréal
This research focuses on the migration of Mexicans to Canada in the form of asylum, a migration flow that Canada tried to counter by tightening its borders. This exclusion occurred simultaneously with that experienced by Mexicans living in or wishing to travel to the United States. Thus, in North America, in a context of deep economic integration, the majority of Mexicans are deprived of access to mobility and hence the ability to enjoy rights across borders. This phenomenon creates a hierarchical regime of citizenship in this space. Intimately related to the themes of inclusion / exclusion, citizenship is generally conceptualized as a status attached to the state or as a set of rights deriving from this status. This research focuses on ways of understanding the concept of citizenship including as a practice or as a hegemonic process. Thus, we attempt to understand why Mexicans have sought asylum in Montreal (Canada) and the ways in which their actions can be linked to citizenship. We seek to verify whether the exclusion of Mexicans in the United States has a role to play in this migration. We also explore the correlation between this migration flow and the concept of an act of citizenship, theorized by Isin (2008), which refers to a practice where individuals claim rights, regardless of whether they possess or not the status associated to citizenship. The findings of this research indicate that Mexicans sought asylum due to deprivation of substantial citizenship in Mexico, strongly related to the formation of the North American space. Moreover, asylum applications are direct consequences of the exclusion of Mexicans from the same transnational space. Moreover, they coincide with the notion of "act of citizenship." Finally, the result of this act, which sought inclusion and rights acquisition, proves to be mixed and uneven.
Political geography Mexico North America globalization Neoliberalism Citizenship Asylum