This presentation uses migrant stories and decision-making theory to explain why U.S. “prevention through deterrence” policies have raised the human and financial costs of migration without reliably stopping people from coming. Drawing on interviews conducted along the migrant route from Colombia to the U.S. border in summer 2023, the presentation argues that many migrants are operating from a “domain of loss,” where poverty, insecurity, repression, family separation, or the absence of a viable future make them more willing to take dangerous risks. Through selected stories, the presentation illustrates how hope, fear, faith, and shifting information shape migrants’ calculations, often leading them to discount the dangers of the journey while overestimating the chance of reaching safety or opportunity in the United States.
This event is presented in collaboration with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
LOCATION:CGIS South, Room S216 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20261013T160000Z DTEND:20261013T173000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR