Borders between the global north and south are fortified and militarized to secure the movement of wealth and goods while limiting the movement of poor immigrants and refugees. These borders can correspond to national borders, and they can also divide areas according to ethnic, racial, or religious lines. At times, these borders cut through ancestral lands, nature reserves, take over resources, isolate and strangle occupied peoples. The fortification of these borders is never-ending, using ever-growing physical barriers, armed presence, and technological surveillance and monitoring. The border and surveillance industries have been similarly growing, with the development of "virtual" borders and mass surveillance technologies.

This Metric focuses on the main companies involved in all aspects of border militarization and the criminalization of immigration.