Millions of people worldwide are being uprooted from their homes and communities. Central Americans are fleeing from economic precarity, climate disaster as well as state and criminal violence. Most head towards Mexico and the United States in search of a livable life. The Vertical Border examines what happens when forced migrants demand dignity and rights. How does the United States externalize its borders in an attempt to stop desperate migrants from reaching its territory? How does Mexico cope with the pressures of being a buffer state where displaced populations are trapped in inhospitable limbo?