Human mobility, organised crime and corruption remain critical issues in Mexico and Central America. This book is the first to consider together three major, interconnected ways in which organised crime shapes migration in the region – as a driver of internal displacement and external migration, a threat to migrants in transit, and a facilitator of unauthorised migration through people-smuggling – and to analyse state action and accountability in relation to these.

Drawing on original interview material with key informants, migrants and refugees, the book analyses how organised criminal groups provoke forced migration, exploit migrants and control people-smuggling, the decision-making and displacement dynamics of people affected by gang violence, and the role of policy, corruption and impunity in the evolution and perpetuation of this situation.

It provides new insight about the internal and external dimensions of displacement caused by gang violence, the agency of people facing extreme risk, and the foreseeable adverse consequences of policy, as well as the implications for state accountability. The conclusions are relevant to academics, practitioners and policymakers concerned with organised crime and migration, both in the region and globally, and for understanding the potential implications of externalising migration policy in areas affected by corruption or organised crime.