The US-Mexico border and, in general, the relations between the two countries have been a space and a framework for cooperation and the definition of cross-border challenges. Mexico-US relations have been characterized by border tensions and conflicts, especially on the Mexican side, reflecting a lack of co-responsibility in the construction of strategic policies that reconcile security, competitiveness and well-being between the two countries.
The United States has promoted greater trade, political and investment ties with Mexico, it has tried in vain to contain the flow of labor across the border. Beginning with the drastic measures against illegal immigration taken in the mid-1980s, the US government has imposed heavy regulations on US employers and dramatically increased spending on border patrols. Despite such aggressive efforts, the US border policy has failed to stop the flow of undocumented workers entering the US labor