From Barriers to Abuse: Border Hardening and Torture Allegations

The International Law and Social Science Interest Group (ILASSIG) and the Human Rights Interest Group (HRIG) of the American Society of International Law and the Social Science and International Law of the European Society of International Law are pleased to present the first talk of their Fall 2024 joint speakers series, featuring Beth Simmons and Gino Pauselli discussing their paper, “From Barriers to Abuse:  Border Hardening and Torture Allegations.”  In this new paper, Simmons and Pauselli investigate serious human rights violations reported in border regions against irregular migrants. They develop a theory of torture by persons whose job it is to secure the border from irregular entry, theorizing that when states announce highly visible and costly border hardening programs, their border and immigration officials tend to internalize these priorities and interpret them as license to enforce the border at all costs. Empirically, the authors find that when states announce new or extended border walls, torture allegations  increase.  These results suggest a tension between border hardening and human rights, and an urgent need to critically examine border hardening from a human rights lens.

Beth Simmons (University of Pennsylvania) and Gino Pauselli (University of Illinois)

Discussants: Adam Chilton (University of Chicago) and Ezgil Yildiz (Cal State Long Beach)