Post-Structural Violence: Central American Migrants and Drug Cartels in Mexico

Abstract

Post-structural violence refers to those situations where the victim becomes the executioner as a survival mechanism in a violent environment. This article, based on in-depth interviews with 53 Central American migrants kidnapped and forced to participate in criminal activities in Mexico, analyses the mechanisms used by Mexican drug cartels to recruit undocumented migrants, and concludes that the fear of losing their lives transforms peaceful and fearful labor migrants into ferocious criminals.