Date of Graduation

Spring 5-23-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

International Studies

First Advisor

Ilaria Giglioli

Abstract

Historically, Tijuana has been the destination for migrants who have been left out from the United States, Mexico, and the rest of the world. The city is at the epicenter of globalization where many transit, leave, and arrive. Sometimes considered a “third country” due to its binational and bicultural identity with its sister city, San Diego, California. The growing number of Haitian refugees that arrived in Tijuana in the mid 2010s to seek asylum in the United States overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure and left the Haitian community vulnerable, yet it created new opportunities and reshaped new identities in the region. This thesis explores how a new Afro-Mexican identity, Haitijuanenses, emerged in la Frontera, bridging both art and space with transnational migration and identity politics. Through expert and personal interviews, this ethnographic research showcases the consequences of U.S. immigration and asylum policies, how border infrastructure is ill-equipped to meet today’s neoliberal and globalized world, and highlights Tijuana’s role as a destination city for new immigrant communities.

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