DETERRENCE BY EMERGENCY: SECURITIZED MIGRATION GOVERNANCE AND HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES IN THE TIJUANA–SAN DIEGO BORDER REGION (2022–2025)

This study investigates the impact of the 2025 National Emergency Declaration (NED) on irregular migration flows across the Tijuana-San Diego corridor, examining contemporary border governance and human mobility. The objective is determining how the NED reshaped migration patterns and whether intensified enforcement redirected routes and deterred crossings. Employing a qualitative–interpretive paradigm with case study design, the research triangulates multiple data sources: presidential proclamations, Department of Homeland Security directives, Customs and Border Protection statistics, Congressional testimony, and humanitarian organization reports from northern Mexico. Document analysis and thematic coding provided primary analytical instruments; no human subjects were interviewed. The timeframe spans fiscal years 2022-2025, enabling comparative analysis pre- and post-emergency. Results reveal profound border management restructuring: decision-making centralized within Homeland Security, expanded military involvement, expedited removal procedures, and intensified Mexico coordination. Irregular entries declined sharply, driven by deterrence and externalized control rather than addressing structural migration drivers. Simultaneously, humanitarian conditions deteriorated-migrant mortality increased, asylum access narrowed, and Tijuana shelters became overburdened. These findings underscore tensions between operational effectiveness and humanitarian imperatives. While emergency measures achieved short-term enforcement objectives, they deepened ethical, legal, and humanitarian dilemmas, questioning the sustainability of governing migration through exceptional states.