Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

University Affiliate

Professor

Mexico-U.S. relations, organized crime, immigration, border security, and human trafficking

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera (Ph.D. in Political Science, The New School for Social Research) is Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University. Her areas of expertise are Mexico-U.S. relations, organized crime, immigration, border security, and human trafficking. Her newest book is titled Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Civil War in Mexico (University of Texas Press, 2017). She was recently the Principal Investigator of a research grant to study organized crime and trafficking in persons in Central America and along Mexico’s eastern migration routes, supported by the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She is now working on a new book project that analyzes the main political, cultural, and ideological aspects of Mexican irregular immigration in the United States entitled Los Trabajadores “Ilegales” Mexicanos en los Estados Unidos: A Human Problem. Dr. Correa-Cabrera is currently the President of the Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS). She is also Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Non-resident Scholar at the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center (Rice University).

Current Research

Research Projects:

Participant in the project “The Future of U.S.-Mexico Relations” (organized by Rice University’s Baker Institute Mexico Center); Spring 2018-Spring 2019.

Individual project: “The future of the U.S.-Mexico Border (with Jason Ackleson)

 

Participant in the project on “Binational Institutional Development on the U.S.-Mexico Border” (organized by Rice University’s Baker Institute Mexico Center); Spring 2017-Spring 2018.

Individual project: “Law Enforcement Security Cooperation on the U.S.-Mexico Border (with Alan Bersin and Evan McCormick)

 

Books/Works in Progress:

Book manuscript: Los Trabajadores “Ilegales” Mexicanos en Los Estados Unidos: A Human Problem

 

Book manuscript (coauthored with Tony Payan): The Bird’s Eye View: An Elitist Analysis of Mexico’s 2006-2012 Security Strategy

 

Edited volume (co-edited with Victor Konrad): North American Borders in Comparative Perspective: Re-Bordering Canada, The United States of America and Mexico in the 21st Century.

Selected Publications

Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporation, Energy and Civil War in Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press (2017).

Democracy in “Two Mexicos”: Political Institutions in Oaxaca and Nuevo León. New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2013).

Expanded Publication List

Book Chapters

 

“Militarización y Violencia en Tamaulipas.” In Raúl Benítez Manaut and Sergio Aguayo Quezada, eds., Atlas de la Seguridad y la Defensa de México 2016. Mexico City: CASEDE and Instituto Belisario Domínguez del Senado de la República (2017): pp. 181-190.

 

“Participación Ciudadana y Seguridad en la Frontera Norte de México: Un Balance de las Experiencias.” In Socorro Arzaluz and Arturo Zárate Ruiz, eds., Frontera Norte y Ciudadanía ante la Encrucijada de la Inseguridad. Mexico City: Colegio de la Frontera Norte (2017): pp. 219-238.

 

“La “Tregua” con la Juventud Perdida de El Salvador.” In Virginia Ilescas and Mario Cortés Larrinaga, eds., Perspectivas, Retos y Propuestas para la Integración de la Política Pública Dirigida hacia los Jóvenes en México. La Paz, Baja California: Universidad del Istmo, Tecnológico Nacional de México, and Instituto Tecnológico de La Paz (2017): pp. 87-98.

 

“Research Methods and Experiences on the Eastern Border (Tamaulipas-Texas): Paramilitarization of Organized Crime, Extreme Violence and Social Media.” In Tony Payan and Consuelo Pequeño, eds., The Art of Research: Methods and Experiences in Crossborder Contexts. Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua: Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ)/Eón (2017) [Forthcoming].

 

“Seguridad, Estado de Derecho y Reforma Energética en México” (co-authored with Tony Payan). In Tony Payan and Stephen Zamora, eds. El Estado de Derecho y la Reforma Energética. Mexico City: Tirant Lo Blanch México (2016): pp. 403-434.

 

“Migración Indocumentada, Crimen Organizado y Trata de Personas a lo Largo de la Frontera Este México-Estados Unidos” (co-authored with Jennifer Bryson Clark). In Werner Mackenbach and Günther Maihold, eds., Globalización, Migración, Convivencia. Perspectivas de Centroamérica y México. San José, Costa Rica: Editorial Jade (2015): pp. 39-51.

 

“Bilingual College Education at UTB: Improving Student Success in the Rio Grande Valley” (co-authored with Oralia de los Reyes). In Milo Kearney, Anthony Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, and Thomas Daniel Knight, eds. Yet More Studies in Rio Grande Valley History (Vol. 13). Brownsville, Texas: University of Texas at Brownsville (2015): pp. 339-359.

 

“Women and Violence on the ‘Forgotten’ Border.” In Milo Kearney, Anthony Knopp, and Antonio Zavaleta, eds. Still More Studies in Rio Grande Valley History (Vol. 12). Brownsville, Texas: University of Texas at Brownsville (2014): pp. 233-254.

 

“Drug Wars, Social Networks and the Right to Information: Informal Media as Freedom of the Press in Northern Mexico” (co-authored with Jose Nava). In Tony Payan, Kathleen Staudt, and Z. Anthony Kruszewski, eds., A War that Can’t Be Won: Binational Perspectives on the War on Drugs. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press (2013): pp. 96-118.

 

“Violencia en el Noreste Mexicano. El Caso Tamaulipas: Estado, Sociedad y Crimen Organizado.” In Vicente Sánchez Munguía, ed., Violencia e Inseguridad en los Estados Fronterizos del Norte de México en la Primera Década del Siglo XX1. Puebla, Puebla: Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (2013): pp. 139-162.

 

“Las Fuentes de Financiamiento como Determinantes de la Transformación del Modelo Económico en México (1940-1998)” (co-authored with Gerardo Jacobs and Vicente Cell). In Mauricio de Miranda, ed., Reforma Económica y Cambio Social en América Latina y el Caribe. Cuatro Casos de Estudio: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, México. Bogotá, Colombia: TM  Editores, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali (November 2000): pp. 96-140.

 

 

Edited Collections

 

Special issue of the Journal of Borderlands Studies (co-edited with Kathleen Staudt): The Multiple U.S.-Mexico Borders. Volume 29, Issue 4, 2014.

 

 

Articles

 

Peer-reviewed

 

“Re-victimizing Trafficked Migrant Women: The Southern Border Plan and Mexico’s Anti-trafficking Legislation.” Eurasia Border Review 8:1 (2017): pp. 55-70.

 

“Citizen Journalism: From Thomas in Boston to Twitter in Tamaulipas: A Case Study” (co-authored with Ruth Ann Ragland and María Machuca). The Journal of Social Media in Society 5:3 (2016): pp. 283-315.

 

“Workers, Parties and a "New Deal:" A Comparative Analysis of Corporatist Alliances in Mexico and the United States, 1910-1940” (co-authored with Ruth Ann Ragland). Labor History 57:3 (2016): pp. 323-346.

 

“U.S. Drug Policy and Supply Side Strategies: Assessing Effectiveness and Results” (co-authored with Michelle Keck). Norteamérica CISAN-UNAM 10:2 (July-December 2015): pp. 47-67.

 

“Inequalities and Global Flows in Mexico’s Northeastern Border: The Effects of Migration, Commerce, Hydrocarbons, and Transnational Organized Crime.” Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 40:3 (Autumn 2015): pp. 326-350.

 

“Losing the Monopoly of Violence: The State, a Drug War, and the Paramilitarization of Organized Crime in Mexico (2007-2010)” (co-authored with Michelle Keck and Jose Nava). State Crime Journal 4:1 (2015): pp. 77-95.

 

“Violence on the “Forgotten” Border: Mexico’s Drug War, the State, and Paramilitarization of Organized Crime in Tamaulipas in a ‘New Democratic Era’”. Journal of Borderlands Studies 29:4 (2014): pp. 419-433.

 

“An Introduction to the Multiple U.S.-Mexico Borders” (co-authored with Kathleen Staudt). Journal of Borderlands Studies 29:4 (2014): pp. 385-390.

 

“The Phenomenology of Perception and Fear: Security and the Reality of the U.S.-Mexico Border” (co-authored with Terence Garrett). Journal of Borderlands Studies 29:2 (2014): pp. 243-255.

 

“Seguridad y Migración en las Dos Fronteras de México: Diagnóstico y Recomendaciones de Política y Cooperación Regional.” Revista Migración y Desarrollo 12:22 (First semester 2014): pp. 147-171.

 

“Administrative Surveillance and Fear: Implications for U.S.-Mexico Border Relations and Governance” (co-authored with Terence Garrett and Michelle Keck). European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 96 (April 2014): pp. 35-53.

 

“Desarrollo Empresarial, Inversión Extranjera y Crimen Organizado en México: Los Efectos Reales de la Violencia (2006-2010).” Panorama Socioeconómico 31:46 (July 2013): pp. 25-36.

 

“The Spectacle of Drug Violence: American Public Discourse, Media and Border Enforcement in the Texas-Tamaulipas Border Region during Drug War Times.” Norteamérica CISAN-UNAM 7:2 (July-December 2012): pp. 199-220.

 

“Security, Migration, and the Economy in the Texas-Tamaulipas Border Region: The ‘Real’ Effects of Mexico's Drug War.” Politics & Policy 41:1 (February 2013): pp. 65-82.

 

“Mexico’s Economic Dilemmas and Democratic Challenges in an Era of Reform.” Latin American Politics and Society 54:4 (Winter 2012): pp. 179-188.

 

“The Mathematics of Mexico-U.S. Migration and U.S. Immigration Policy,” co-authored with Miriam Rojas-Arenaza. Policy Studies 33:4 (July 2012): pp. 297-312.

 

“Political Cohesion in Northern Mexico: The Case of Nuevo León (1994-2006)." The Journal of South Texas 25:1 (Spring 2012): pp. 4-39.

 

“Political Factionalism in Southern Mexico: The Case of Oaxaca (2000-2006)." The Journal of Politics in Latin America 4:1 (2012): pp. 73-106.

 

Non peer-reviewed

 

“New Forms of Crime and Violence in the Americas: Human Trafficking, Transnational Organized Crime and Migration in Central America and Mexico.” Hemisphere 26 (Summer 2017): pp. 32-33.

 

“Crimen, Corrupción y Pérdida del Monopolio de la Violencia en Honduras: Reflexiones y Apuntes de Viaje a San Pedro Sula, Choloma, El Progreso y la Ceiba.” Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center (July 2017).

 

“La Peligrosa Trayectoria de la Niñez Migrante hacia Estados Unidos.” Seguridad y Sociedad 6:14 (December 2016): pp. 8-13.

 

“Rhetoric, Policy and Reality: U.S. Border Security and Migration Reform.” Voices of Mexico 99 (Spring-Summer 2015): pp. 11-13.

 

“Militarización y Seguridad Ciudadana en Tamaulipas: Dilemas de la Sociedad Civil y Límites a la Participación Ciudadana en una Entidad donde el Estado Perdió el Monopolio de la Violencia.” In Taller sobre Seguridad Ciudadana en México. Monterrey, Nuevo León: Woodrow Wilson Center, CAF - Development Bank of Latin America, and Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (October 2014).

 

“Violence and Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico: The Economic Impact of the ‘War against Drugs’.” Voices of Mexico 96 (Autumn 2013): pp. 17-22.

 

“A Business Perspective on Violence and Organized Crime.” Voices of Mexico 94 (Autumn 2012): pp. 19-22.

 

“La Vuelta en ‘U’ de la Transición Mexicana: Los Límites de la Democracia Electoral a Diez Años de la Alternancia.” Revista Folios 4:24 (Autumn 2011): pp. 74-80.

 

“El Actual Modelo de Desarrollo: Orígenes y Perspectivas” (co-authored with Gerardo Jacobs). Bien Común y Gobierno 23 (July 2000): pp. 13-26.

 

 

Encyclopedia Entries

 

“Latinos and U.S. Policy.” The Encyclopedia of United States - Latin American Relations (EUSLA). Washington, DC: CQ Press (2012).

 

“First Meeting of American Presidents (Panama), 1956.” The Encyclopedia of United States - Latin American Relations (EUSLA). Washington, DC: CQ Press (2012).

 

“Second Meeting of American Presidents (Punta del Este), 1967.” The Encyclopedia of United States - Latin American Relations (EUSLA). Washington, DC: CQ Press (2012).

 

 

Book Reviews

 

George W. Grayson, The Cartels: The Story of Mexico’s Most Dangerous Criminal Organizations and Their Impact on U.S. Security. In Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, September 2014.

 

Diego E. Osorno, La Guerra de Los Zetas: Viaje por la Frontera de la Necropolítica. In Critical Reviews on Latin American Research 3:1 (2014).

 

Ricardo Ravelo, Zetas: La Franquicia Criminal. In Diario 19 (February 23, 2014).

 

Shannon Speed, Rights in Rebellion: Indigenous Struggle and Human Rights in Chiapas. In Latin American Politics and Society 50:4 (Winter 2008): pp. 193-196.

 

 

Working Papers

 

“Inequalities and Global Flows in Mexico’s Northeastern Border: The Effects of Migration, Commerce, Hydrocarbons, and Transnational Organized Crime.” Working Paper Series, DesiguALdades.net - International Research Network on Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America: Lateinamerika-Institut of the Freie Universität Berlin (2014).

 

The ‘Double Transition’ in Latin America: Democratic Change and the ‘Washington Consensus’ (Main Critiques and Challenges in the 21st Century).” Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS) Working Paper series 2003.

 

 

Issue Briefs and Public Policy Reports

 

“Mexican Armed Forces and Security in Mexico” (co-authored with Tony Payan). Issue Brief no. 05.31.16. Rice University’s Baker Institute, Houston, Texas.

 

“Land Ownership and Use under Mexico’s Energy Reform” (co-authored with Tony Payan). Issue Brief no. 10.29.14. Rice University’s Baker Institute, Houston, Texas.

 

“Energy Reform and Security in Northeastern Mexico” (co-authored with Tony Payan). Issue Brief no. 05.06.14. Rice University’s Baker Institute, Houston, Texas.

 

 

Other Publications

 

Foreword of the book Drug War Capitalism by Dawn Marie Paley. Oakland, CA: AK Press (2014).

 

“Crónicas de Cárteles, Breitbart y la Guerra que Bosquejan en México.” In Newsweek en Español [cover story] 21:35 (September 1, 2017); pp. 16-22.

 

“La Tregua con Las Maras que Destruyó el Estado” (Interview with former guerrilla member Raúl Mijango). In Newsweek en Español [cover story] 20:24 (June 6, 2016); pp. 14-22.

 

“Migración, Crimen Organizado y Política en las Dos Fronteras de México.” Revista Internacional de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, SOCIOTAM 24:2 (July-December 2014): pp. 87-113. [Revised version of article in Revista Migración y Desarrollo 12:22 titled “Seguridad y Migración en las Dos Fronteras de México: Diagnóstico y Recomendaciones de Política y Cooperación Regional”]

 

“El Rascatripas. Hombre, Unos 35 Años de Edad.” In Lolita Bosch and Alejandro Vélez Salas, eds., Tú y Yo Coincidimos en la Noche Terrible. Mexico City: Nuestra Aparente Rendición (2012): pp. 89-90.

 

 

Op-Eds

 

“Mexico’s Drug War and Neoliberal Energy Reforms Could Be Good for Business, Especially Mercenary Companies.” Upside Down World, October 2, 2017. https://upsidedownworld.org/uncategorized/mexicos-drug-war-neoliberal-energy-reforms-good-business-especially-mercenary-companies/.

 

“Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Militarization in the Age of Trump” (commentary). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press (2017). http://utpressnews.blogspot.com/2017/06/criminal-corporations-energy-and.html.

 

“Gobierno espía: Gobierno inepto.” Newsweek en Español, July 3, 2017. https://www.pressreader.com/argentina/newsweek-en-espa%C3%B1ol/20170703/282054802053149.

 

“Immigration and border security in the age of Trump.” The Expert Take, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center. March 24, 2017. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/immigration-and-border-security-the-age-trump.

 

“¿A quién le conviene que se olvide la violencia en Tamaulipas?” AMÉXICA-Univision, August 12, 2016. http://www.univision.com/noticias/opinion/a-quien-le-conviene-que-se-olvide-la-violencia-en-tamaulipas.

 

“Visiones fronterizas sobre seguridad: la realidad “desde dentro” en ambos lados.” AMÉXICA-Univision, July 18, 2016. http://www.univision.com/noticias/amexica/visiones-fronterizas-sobre-seguridad-la-realidad-desde-dentro-en-ambos-lados.

 

“¿Qué está detrás de la elección en Tamaulipas? Seguridad y energía.” Sinembargo.mx, May 29, 2016. http://www.sinembargo.mx/29-05-2016/1665803.

 

“Seguridad Fronteriza y Reforma Migratoria en los Estados Unidos: Retórica, Política y Realidad.” La Frontera, 35:2 (Spring 2015): pp. 14-15. http://absborderlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/La-frontera-352_h.pdf.

 

“New Economic Opportunities on the U.S.-Mexico Border Amid the Drug War.” La Frontera, 34:1 (Fall 2013): p. 4. http://absborderlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/La-frontera-341small.pdf.

 

“Achieving Border Security: A Matter of Money or Competency? The Baker Institute Viewpoints series: Border Spending / Houston Chronicle, August 1, 2013. http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2013/08/achieving-border-security-a-matter-of-money-or-competency/.

 

 

Grants and Fellowships

Non-resident Scholar, Mexico Center, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University (2017-2019)

Expert in the areas of Mexico-U.S. relations, organized crime, immigration, border security and human trafficking (October 1, 2017-September 30, 2019)

 

Woodrow Wilson Center Global Fellow (2017-2019)

Latin American Program (August 2017-July 2019)

 

2017-2018 Herman Brown Distinguished Scholar, Texas Christian University (TCU).

 

Woodrow Wilson Center Residential Fellowship (2016-2017)

Project: “Trafficking in Persons, Irregular Immigration and Transnational Organized Crime in Central America and Mexico” (September 2016-July 2017).

 

Principal Investigator: FY 2014 International Programs to Combat Trafficking in Persons Grant

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State

Project: “Trafficking in Persons along Mexico’s Eastern Migration Routes: The Role of Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations”

$200,000.00 (18 months, starting April 2015)

 

*** 2015 Emerging Scholar of the Year Award; by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

 

Research fellow at the Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin) - Desigualdades.net project (June–August 2013)

 

Drugs, Security and Democracy (DSD) Post-doctoral Fellowship (August 2011-July 2012)

 

FULBRIGHT Fellowship (Sep 2000-May 2002)

 

Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) Scholarship (Fall 2000–August 2006)

 

New School for Social Research Dissertation Fellowship (2003-2004)

 

New School for Social Research Graduate Teaching Fellowship (2003-2004)

 

New School for Social Research Tuition Scholarship (Fall 2000 - Fall 2003)

 

Janey Program for Latin American Studies Summer Grant (Summer 2004)

 

2002 Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS) New Social Science Training Fellowship (September-December 2002)

Courses Taught

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Latin American Politics

American Hispanic Politics

American Government and Policy

Global Borders in Comparative Perspective

Seminar in International and Development Policy and Management (Graduate)

International and Comparative Public Policy and Management (Graduate)

United States-Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Relations (Graduate)

Public Policies in the Mexico-U.S. Border Region (Graduate)

U.S.-Mexico Border Policy (Graduate)

Education

1. New School for Social Research/The New School; New York, NY

Political Science Department

Ph.D. in Political Science; January 2010.

Major Field: Comparative Politics (passed Field Exam with Honors)

Minor Field: American Politics

Ph.D. Dissertation Title:

DEMOCRACY IN "TWO MEXICOS": Political Exclusion, Economic Exclusion, and (Un)civil Modes of Political Action in Oaxaca and Nuevo León

 

2. New School for Social Research/The New School; New York, NY

Political Science Department

M.Phil. in Political Science; January 2005.

M.A. in Political Science; May 2002.

Area of Specialization: Comparative Politics

 

3. Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA); Mexico City

Department of Economics

B.A. in Economics (Licenciatura en Economía); December 1997.

Area of Specialization: Macroeconomics (Field of interest: International Economics)

B.A. Thesis: “Desarrollo Financiero y Crecimiento Económico: Teoría y Evidencia Empírica para Países en Desarrollo” (Financial Development and Economic Growth: Theory and Empirical Evidence for Developing Countries)

Degree with honors: Honorific Mention (Mención Honorífica)

Recent Presentations

Keynote presentations and featured lectures

 

“The Spectacle of US-Mexico Border Security: Drugs, Immigration, and Political Rhetoric in the Trump Era.” The Herman Brown Distinguished Scholar Lecture, Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas; February 5, 2018).

 

“Delincuencia Organizada en Centroamérica y las Fronteras. Un Problema de Seguridad Regional." Keynote speaker at the opening of the Master’s Program in Hemispheric Security 2018 - Mexico’s Federal Police (Mexico City; January 12, 2018).

 

“The History of U.S-Mexico Border Security Cooperation: From “Distant Neighbors” to Partners.” Keynote speaker at the Second International Conference on Border Studies (Brownsville, Texas; October 27, 2017).

 

“Riesgos de la Inversión Empresarial Transfronteriza México-Estados Unidos.” Keynote speaker at the 3rd International Congress: Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, and Competitiveness, Instituto Tecnológico de la Paz (La Paz, Baja California Sur; May 2-4, 2017).

 

“The Future of U.S.-Mexico Relations.” Featured speaker at the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University (Washington, DC; February 22, 2017).

 

“Right-Wing Populism and the Future of Mexico-U.S. Border Relations.” Featured speaker at the Centre for Border Region Studies of Southern Denmark University (Sønderborg, Denmark; February 16, 2017).

 

“Challenges and Opportunities in United States-Mexico Relations.” Featured speaker at the the Kozmetsky Center of St. Edwards University (Austin, Texas; February 8, 2017).

 

Academic conferences

 

“Trafficking of Migrants and Organized Crime in Central America, Mexico and the U.S.” Participant in the panel “Borders and Migration in a Trump Presidency.” Colloque International, Observatoire sur les États-Unis: Trump: l'an un; Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) (Montreal, Canada; November 9, 2017).

 

“Trafficking of Migrants and Organized Crime: A Dangerous Journey to the United States.” Paper presented at the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA) (San Francisco, CA; August 31-September 3, 2017).

 

“The Southeastern US border with Mexico under the Donald J. Trump’s presidency. How will border security interact?” Paper presented at the 59th Annual Conference of the Association for Borderland Studies (ABS) (San Francisco, California; April 12-15, 2017).

 

Public presentations

 

Participation in the panel “¿Guerra o Paz?: Drogas, Migración y Crimen Organizado.” International Conference: “Democracia y Autoritarismo en México y el Mundo, de Cara a las Elecciones de 2018,” organized by Diálogos por la Democracia UNAM (Mexico City; February 14-16, 2018).

 

“Transnational Organized Crime in Mexico and Central America: Corruption, Migration and Drugs.” Participant in the closing panel of the Master’s Program in Hemispheric Security - Mexico’s Federal Police (Mexico City; December 4, 2017).

 

Participation in the panel “The Challenges of Crossing Borders: Derechos Humanos y Aspectos Humanitarios de la Transmigración.” International Conference on migration in The Americas: “The Americas in Movement, Coping with Migration,” organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (Mexico City; December 1, 2017).

 

Participation in the event “Security in Mexico” (with Genaro Garcia Luna, former secretary of public safety of Mexico, and Tony Payan). Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, Rice University (Houston, Texas; November 20, 2017).

 

Book signing and presentation of Los Zetas Inc. Participant in the panel “Inside the Cartels: Organized Crime Across the Border” (with Hipólito Acosta, Melissa del Bosque, and Ricardo C. Ainslie); C-Span2/Book TV Tent, Texas Book Festival (Austin, Texas; November 4, 2017).

 

“Law Enforcement Security Cooperation on the U.S.-Mexico Border” (co-authored with Alan Bersin). Author Workshop – Binational Institutional Development on the U.S.-Mexico Border; Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, Rice University (Houston, Texas; October 26, 2017).

 

“Perpetual Resistance and Violence in Latin America.” Official Launch Hemisphere 2017. Participant in the panel discussion (Washington, DC; September 21, 2017).

 

“Central American Migration Push/Pull Factors: What Changes May be Underway? What are their Implications?” Participant in Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Roundtable (Washington, DC; September 19, 2017).

 

“Trata de Personas, Crimen Organizado y Migración en los Principales Destinos Turísticos de la Península de Yucatán. El Caso de Cancún y Zonas Aledañas de Gran Turismo, México.” Featured speaker at the International Congress on “Fighting Trafficking in Persons and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Teenagers related to Travel and Tourism,” organized by the General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs and the Costa Rican Tourism Board (San José, Costa Rica; September 12-14, 2017).

 

Participant in the panel “Structure of Cartels and Gangs and their Impact on Commerce.” Southeast Analysts Roundtable (SEAR) Summer Meeting (Houston, Texas; July 19, 2017).

 

“Human Trafficking in the Americas: The Cases of Mexico and Central America.” Public lecture at the course on Western Hemisphere Intensive Regional Studies. Foreign Service Institute (Washington, DC; April 20, 2017).

 

Participant in the panel “Corruption and Security in Latin America.” OMNIA’s “II Summit for Latin-American Public Policy Students” (Georgetown University and Organization of American States, Washington, DC; April 1, 2017).

 

Participant in the panel on “Drivers and Causes of Forced Migration and Immigration.” Emerging Global Issues Forum on “Forced Migration, Immigration, and Security,” organized by the Global Studies Institute and Georgia State University (Atlanta, Georgia; March 30, 2017).

 

Participant in the panel on “Human Trafficking.” 2017 Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Leadership Conference and HIPGiver Gala (San Francisco, California; March 23, 2017).

 

“Transnational Organized Crime in Mexico and Central America.” Participant in the panel: “Crime, Corruption and Citizen Security.” Western Hemisphere Leadership Seminar for Mid-Level Officers, Foreign Service Institute (Washington, DC; March 21, 2017).

 

“Trafficking in Persons in Central America and Along Mexico's Eastern Migration Routes:  The Role of Transnational Criminal Organizations.” Presentation of report and participant in the panel: “Migration, Trafficking, and Organized Crime in Central America, Mexico, and the United States,” organized by the Woodrow Wilson Center (Washington, DC; March 1, 2017).

 

Commentator and participant in the U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI) Policy Forum: “Asia and the World as Seen by Border Studies: Implications for US-Japan Relations” (Washington, DC; February 28, 2017).

 

“Mexico’s Current Situation and Recent Developments.” Featured speaker at the conference: “Drug Trafficking in Latin America: A Case Study on Colombia and Mexico. Lessons, Successes, and Challenges Ahead,” organized at Georgetown University (Washington, DC; February 10, 2017).

 

“Crime and Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Prevention and Migration.” Participation in the panel to comment a study by the World Bank entitled “Stop the Violence in Latin America: A Look at Prevention from Cradle to Adulthood,” organized by the World Bank and the Woodrow Wilson Center (Washington, DC; February 7, 2017).

 

“The Current State of U.S. Mexico Security Cooperation and Future Prospects: The Case of Tamaulipas.” Featured speaker at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute annual conference: “The State of Security in Mexico: Why are Homicides Increasing? How to Reduce the Violence” (Washington, DC; February 3, 2017).

In the Media

Quoted and cited frequently in national and international news media on the topics of Mexican politics, U.S-Mexico relations, U.S.-Mexico border relations, and particularly on drug trafficking issues and drug violence in Mexico. Among these media sources are: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, El País, NPR, BBC World News, and C-SPAN Washington Journal.

 

Op. eds. and articles on current political and public policy issues in: Univision, Newsweek (in Spanish), Houston Chronicle (the Baker Institute Viewpoints series); Latin America Advisor (Inter-American Dialogue); the Association for Borderlands Studies newsletter La Frontera; Borderzine (University of Texas at El Paso), among others.