border as a social construct

Sanchez argues that modern conceptions of the border were created in the first three decades of the twentieth century. The immigration act of 1917 instituted literacy tests and medical exams for immigrants. Although Mexicans were made exempt from these in 1921, the law complemented a growing conception of Mexicans as aliens. Before the turn of the century, Mexicans often travelled across the border in seasonal cycles, but stricter border control made some wary of leaving the country once they made it in. The border hence became less fluid. Sanchez argues that border control laws were legislated by people who probably never saw the border to regulate the migration of people who may have crossed the border many times into land once a part of their native country.