Irregularized Transits to the South: A Social Force in the Cross-Border Spatial Dispute in South America

Abstract

This article examines Venezuelan irregularized transits in South America, focusing on the dynamics of mobility and control that shape the southern corridor—a transnational space linking the Andean Region (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia) to the Southern Cone, particularly Chile. We explore how this mode of migrant mobility unfolds spatially, while simultaneously being shaped by—and resisting—the reinforcement of regional control mechanisms. Challenging the dominant narrative that frames irregularized transit migration as either a temporary stay or an “illegal” journey between two countries, we argue that it constitutes a heterogeneous, multitemporal, and multidimensional social force that redefines cross-border spatial struggles. Drawing on ethnographic material collected between 2019 and 2021, we analyze three interwoven dimensions of Venezuelan transit migration: political-economic, sociocultural, and subjective. As the article demonstrates, these dimensions generate multi-scalar spatial reverberations across the studied corridor.