Research
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The Precarious Nexus of Technology, Human Rights and Migration: The Case of the CBP One App
The essay examines how, in less than five years, the CBP One app (the app launched by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in October 2020) underwent significant changes, underscoring how politically motivated decisions can rapidly transform technology from a tool for advancing human rights into one that hinders them. The app, now known as CBP […]
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Collaborative governance as a model to advance inclusive participatory processes in the Northwestern Sonora Reserve Cluster, Mexico.
I participated in the strategic planning for the Northwestern Sonora Reserve Cluster, a multi-stakeholder decision-making process aiming to define a 10-year socio-environmental management plan for two protected areas: the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta and the Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar biosphere reserves. The process, led by the National Commission of […]
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How traditional knowledge can help improve marine conservation management in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Marine and land management practices built on western ideals have affected the livelihoods of Indigenous groups like the Cucapá peoples from the Colorado River delta in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico, particularly their traditional fishing activities. To better protect natural resources and improve the Cucapás’ livelihoods, land and marine conservation managers need to change […]
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Understanding Mexico’s Modern Development and Human Rights Landscape
Migrants are a powerful driver of economic and social development for themselves and their communities in countries of origin, transit, and destination (2030 Agenda, p 11). According to the UN, more than 272 million people migrated internationally in 2019, representing 3.5 percent of the global population (UN, 2020). The UN estimates international remittances summed up […]
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Traditional Knowledge Applications on Small-Scale Fisheries Management
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), nearly 90% of the world's marine fish stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted (FAO, 2018). Marine fish stocks are an essential part of the world food system – 17% of all protein consumed comes from fisheries (FAO, 2018). Fishing activity is […]
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In/Visibilities of The LGBTQI Migrant Caravans
On August 10, 2017, twelve transgender women and four gay men headed to the Deconcini port of entry in downtown Nogales on the US-Mexico border. Behind them, a handful of people, including international allies, journalists, and television reporters, attracted to the outspoken, provocative, and defiant collective, were documenting the first trans-gay migrant caravan from Central […]
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The Cucapá and the Fight for Their Land Rights
During the last five hundred years, western settlers and international corporations have eliminated, subjugated, or removed Native Americans from their ancestral lands to exploit natural resources (Dominguez and Luoma, 2020). Land dispossession is a critical component driven by colonization and capitalism reproduced by neoliberal conservation strategies (Rodríguez Goyes et al., 2019). Mexico has followed suit […]
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Are Farmers Markets a Food Security Alternative for Low-Income Communities?
Forty million of the more than eight hundred million people who experienced hunger in 2018 are Americans. Due to urban expansion, the impact of climate change, and impoverishment, the most affected by food insecurity are urban residents of racial and ethnic minorities, disadvantaged seniors and children, and adults with disabilities. International and local policymakers have […]
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El Otro Lado. Social Science Perspectives on Development Practice
El otro lado is the expression Mexicans use to refer to America. It literally means the other side, as on the other side of the border. I wrote this essay for my class Social Science Perspectives on Development Practice. The first time I visited America I was impressed by the roads, parks, and houses – […]
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