Beyond Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Understanding Interorganizational Collaboration for Border Management

This study examines the structural and procedural characteristics of inter-organizational collaboration operating in U.S. border management practice. Using social network analysis, the study analyzed interorganizational collaboration operating in El Paso, Texas, a border city in the USA. The findings demonstrate strong cross-sector, inter-jurisdictional, and inter-service collaboration between private organizations, especially between those organizations providing diverse human and social services. In contrast, collaboration between the public sector and private sectors is relatively weak. Based on the findings, the author provides some theoretical and practical implications to promote interorganizational collaboration for border management.