Media, Central American Refugees, and the U.S. Border Crisis: Security Discourses, Immigrant Demonization, and the Perpetuation of Violence

157 Pages·2019·2.321 MB·English

by  Robin Andersen, Adrian Bergmann

Media, Central American
Refugees, and the U.S. Border
Crisis
This book identifies the history, conventions, and uses of security
discourses, and argues that such language and media frames dis-
tort information and mislead the public, misidentify the focus of
concern, and omit narratives able to recognize the causes and solu-
tions to humanitarian crises.
What has been identified as a crisis at the border is better un-
derstood as an on-going crisis of violence, building over decades,
that has forced migrants from their homes in the countries of the
Northern Triangle. Authors Robin Andersen and Adrian B ergmann
look back to U.S. military policies in the region and connect this
legacy to the cross-border development of transnational gangs,
government corruption, and on-going violence that often targets
environmental and legal defenders. They argue that the discourses
of demonization and securitization only help perpetuate brutality
in both Central America and the United States, especially in the
desert borderlands of the southwest. They offer ways in which sto-
ries of migrants can be reframed within the language of justice, em-
pathy, and humanitarianism.
A compelling examination of language, media, and politics, this
book is both highly contemporary and widely applicable, perfect
for students and scholars of global media, political communica-
tions, and their many intersections.
Robin Andersen is Professor of Communication and Media Studies
at Fordham University. She is the author of seven books and dozens
of book chapters and journal articles, and writes media analysis and
criticism for a variety of publications. She co-edited the Routledge
Companion to Media and Humanitarian Action, and she is now ed-
iting the Routledge Focus on Media and Humanitarian Action
series. She also recently published HBO’s Treme and the Stories of
the Storm: From New Orleans as Disaster Myth to Groundbreaking
Television. Her 2006 book A Century of Media: A Century of War
won the 2007 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award from the Honor Society
of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. She is a Project Censored Judge,
and her article for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting was recog-
nized as a Top Ten Story for 2018.
Adrian Bergmann is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Histor-
ical, Anthropological, and Archaeological Studies of the Univer-
sity of El Salvador, where he conducts interdisciplinary research
on peace building, conflict transformation, and violence reduc-
tion. Previously, he held the Chair of Peace Culture at Don Bosco
University, and he has worked as a scholar and practitioner with
street children, sex workers, gang members, police officers, and
policy- makers. At present, he is focused on the transformation of
dynamics of armed violence, the role of the state in the production
of violence, and strategies for constructive engagement with gangs.

Routledge Focus on Media and Humanitarian Action
Robin Andersen and Purnaka L. de Silva
Humanitarianism is defined by assumptions that guide global sol-
idarity, and posits that all peoples are part of the same humanity,
no matter who they are, what they believe or where they live. These
principles suggest that when media show the suffering of others,
global publics respond in ways that facilitate disaster relief and help
alleviate pain. But reactions to crises are also shaped by those who
bear witness, tell the stories, share the data, and take the pictures
of communities rocked by crises. Media content can also help those
humanitarians who seek to address root causes of disasters, or it
can serve to obscure the causes in many ways.
This series explores the multiple intersections between media
and the work of humanitarian actors, and offers critical analysis
of media, its uses, its coverage, how it has changed, and how it is
misused in the representation of humanitarianism. Authors iden-
tify cutting-edge uses of new media technologies, including big
data and virtual reality, and assess the conventions of older legacy
media. For movements toward global peace, all peoples should be
represented at the table and have their voices heard, including those
outside the media spotlight.
Media, Central American Refugees, and the U.S. Border Crisis
Security Discourses, Immigrant Demonization, and the
Perpetuation of Violence
Robin Andersen and Adrian Bergmann
For more information about this series visit: https://www.routledge.
com/Routledge-Focus-on-Media-and-Humanitarian-Action/book-
series/RFMHA
Media, Central American
Refugees, and the U.S.
Border Crisis
Security Discourses, Immigrant
Demonization, and the Perpetuation
of Violence
Robin Andersen and Adrian Bergmann
First published 2020
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an
informa business
© 2020 Taylor & Francis
The right of Robin Andersen and Adrian Bergmann to
be identified as authors of this work has been asserted
by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may
be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-18971-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-19959-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
For the Migrants of the Northern Triangle, El Salvador,
Honduras, and Guatemala forced to leave their homes.

Contents
Preface xi
ROBIN ANDERSEN
Introduction 1
ROBIN ANDERSEN
1 From the Civil War in El Salvador to MS-13:
Media Frames that Distort, Mislead, and Omit 11
ROBIN ANDERSEN
2 Violence, Migration, and the Perverse Effects of
Gang Repression in Central America 36
ADRIAN BERgMANN
3 The Photograph Seen “Around the World”:
The Media, the Migrant Mother from Honduras,
and the U.S.-Backed Military Coup of 2009 59
ROBIN ANDERSEN
4 Guatemala and the Extractive Industries: Media Fail
to Connect Migrant Girl Who Died in CBP Custody to
Years of Post-Colonial Oppression and Genocide 79
ROBIN ANDERSEN
5 Violence and Brutality at the U.S. Border and
Beyond: The Media and the Perpetuation of
Militarism in the Hemisphere 88
ROBIN ANDERSEN