Social Justice Education

Border enforcement and free-trade policies directly affect the lives of working people and immigrants. Researchers, advocates, and activists for human rights can find history and resources on this site.

Women and Globalization

Exploitation in global factories has led women workers to fight for fair wages and empower themselves through fair trade networks.

Reimagining the Border

With social critique and humor artists and activists reimagine human relationships along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Immigration and Detention

Women on the Border offers resources for the struggle to uphold the human rights of migrants and the undocumented.

Our History

Women on the Border was founded in 2001 to support the empowerment of women working in the NAFTA factories (maquiladoras) at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In recent years, as U.S. policy has become more hostile than ever to migrants, workers, and people of color, Women on the Border has sought to promote scholarship and activism calling for freedom, justice and human dignity.

Read Our Blog

Border Delegation: The Journey of an Immigrant, May 17-20, 2012

by Elvia Arriola | Apr 3, 2012 | Advocacy and Activism, Delegations, Further Study, Immigration and Human Rights Bibliography, Migrants and Human Rights, Resources, WOB Archival

What happens when a migrant crosses the border? The idea for the Journey of an Immigrant Delegations emerged from awareness of growing anti-immigrant attitudes reflected in increased legislative efforts all over the U.S. to criminalize the undocumented worker and...

Delegate Reflection, Monica G.

by Elvia Arriola | Dec 9, 2011 | Advocacy and Activism, Further Study, Maquiladoras, NAFTA, Women and Globalization

INITIAL IMPACT: (10 Oct 2011 email from my Tío Juan Guzmán & my response to him) Good morning ... It was interesting reading about this latest venture of yours...that is great....I believe everyone ought to be involved in one issue at least once in their...

The quest for social justice in the maquiladoras

by Elvia Arriola | Sep 21, 2011 | Further Study, Maquiladoras, NAFTA, Resources, Women and Globalization

The Quest for Social Justice in the Border Factories known as “maquiladoras.” In 2000, several years into the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a lawsuit, or complaint of sorts was filed by workers in Matamoros (Brownsville,TX) against Custom...