Abstract
As expressed by media, the number of migrants under the status of refugees, mostly arriving from the Central American northern triangle to Mexico on their way to the U.S. is steady and staggeringly high. Recent U.S. foreign policies in reference to immigration defy already established ruling by the International Human Rights Commission about the protection of refugees. As exclusionary measures are enforced in the U.S. , and as its political pressure on the Mexican government intensifies, the number of Central American detainees also increases. At various centers of detention, conveniently named “albergues” in Spanish, some of these refugees have taken upon themselves the task of not only expressing their specific cultural heritage but to enhance and beautify the public and community physical space adjacent to the location where they are “on hold.” In this paper, I first explore the participation the refugees have on the community as they interact in it/ with it, outside of the “albergue,” and what it seems to be shared. Second, I will also contemplate the possible impact of such interaction on those in detention as national exclusionary rulings seem to be the one common denominator.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Art and Community Modification, Exclusion, Global Migration, Human Detention, Refugees
