ABSTRACT
In the mid- to late nineteenth centuries, abolitionists and humanitarians in the US and England decried the brutality of the Chinese “coolie” trade as a form of slavery in disguise. Although there is abundant evidence of coercion, the forced trafficking argument denies the agency of Chinese migrants and points our critique at smugglers rather than capitalism. Similarly, today’s focus on punishing human traffickers distracts attention from the legal, political, and economic structures that force migrants into dangerous clandestine border crossings. Panic over human smuggling legitimizes the militarization of borders and harms migrants.
