The tightrope of transit and containment: A comparative scoping review of international migration to Chiapas and the Canary Islands (1991-2021)

Abstract This comparative scoping review presents two cases widely considered as spaces of transit: the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and the Canary Islands archipelago, Spain. Following sampling and screening, 92 records from academic literature were included in this review. We found that this body of mostly descriptive research has largely focused on changes in migration policy, migrant routes, and border enforcement. In this, we have found a striking comparability between both cases, where increased containment, securitization, and criminalization of migration at the macro-level - and specifically in the United States and European Union - has trickled down within these micro-level spaces, putting into question the ‘transit character’ of these geographies.