From debates on Capitol Hill to the popular media, Mexican immigrants are the subject of widespread controversy. By 2003, their growing numbers accounted for 28.3 percent of all foreign-born inhabitants of the United States. Mexican Immigration to the United States analyzes the astonishing economic impact of this historically unprecedented exodus. Why do Mexican immigrants gain citizenship and employment at a slower rate than non-Mexicans? Does their migration to the U.S. adversely affect the working conditions of lower-skilled workers already residing there? And how rapid is the intergenerational mobility among Mexican immigrant families? This authoritative volume provides a historical context for Mexican immigration to the U.S. and reports new findings on an immigrant influx whose size and character will force us to rethink economic policy for decades to come. Mexican Immigration to the United States will be necessary reading for anyone concerned about social conditions and economic opportunities in both countries.

Congressional committee reporting on legal aspects of immigration to the USA, with particular reference to Mexicans - discusses the magnitude of illegal immigration, population effects, social service programmes, migration policy as well as economic implications, and comments on provisions of the immigration and nationality legislation. Graphs, references and statistical tables.

Contains a collection of essays. Assesses the impact of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 on illegal immigration, with emphasis on undocumented migration from Mexico.

Borderlands migration has been the subject of considerable study, but the authorship has usually reflected a north-of-the-border perspective only. Gathering a transnational group of prominent researchers, including leading Mexican scholars whose work is not readily available in the United States and academics from US universities, Mexican Migration to the United States brings together an array of often-overlooked viewpoints, reflecting the interconnectedness of immigration policy. This collection’s research, principally empirical, reveals significant aspects of labor markets, family life, and educational processes. Presenting recent data and accessible explanations of complex histories, the essays capture the evolving legal frameworks and economic implications of Mexico-US migrations at the national and municipal levels, as well as the experiences of receiving communities in the United States. The volume includes illuminating reports on populations ranging from undocumented young adults to elite Mexican women immigrants, health-care rights, Mexico’s incorporation of return migration, the impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on higher education, and the experiences of young children returning to Mexican schools after living in the United States. Reflecting a multidisciplinary approach, the list of contributors includes anthropologists, demographers, economists, educators, policy analysts, and sociologists. Underscoring the fact that Mexican migration to the United States is unique and complex, this timely work exemplifies the cross-border collaboration crucial to the development of immigration policies that serve people in both countries.

First Published in 1999. This book evaluates the influence of migration networks and human capital accumulation on Mexican migration to the United States. Because these two factors directly affect the costs and benefits of migration, they have a tremendous impact on Mexican migration. They shape its composition, determine its size, and regulate its pace.

In this paper, I selectively review recent literature on illegal migration from Mexico to the United States. I begin by discussing methods for estimating stocks and flows of illegal migrants. While there is uncertainty about the size of the unauthorized population, new data sources make it possible to examine the composition of legal and illegal populations and the time-series covariates of illegal labor flows. I then consider the supply of and demand for illegal migrants. Wage differentials between the United States and Mexico are hardly a new phenomenon, yet illegal migration from Mexico did not reach high levels until recently. An increase in the relative size of Mexico's working-age population, greater volatility in U.S.-Mexico relative wages, and changes in U.S. immigration policies are all candidate explanations for increasing labor flows from Mexico. Finally, I consider policies that regulate the cross-border flow of illegal migrants. While U.S. laws mandate that authorities prevent illegal entry and punish firms that hire unauthorized immigrants, these laws are imperfectly enforced. Lax enforcement may reflect political pressure by employers and other interests that favor open borders.

This two-volume reference work addresses the dynamic lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States and establishes these individuals' experiences as a key part of our nation's demographic and sociological evolution. This two-volume work supplies accessible and comprehensive coverage of this complex subject by consolidating the insights of hundreds of scholars who have studied the issues of undocumented immigration in the United States for years. It provides a historical perspective that underscores the exponential growth of the undocumented population in the last three decades and presents a more nuanced, more detailed, and therefore more accurate portrait of undocumented immigrants than is available in general media. Also included are recommended resources that will serve researchers seeking more information on topics regarding undocumented immigrants.

When this volume was published in 1990, undocumented Mexican immigrants had become an important component of the US population. In this book the author analyzes the results of a unique survey conducted in Los Angeles County, where an estimated 44 percent of the undocumented Mexican population lived. The survey allows the author to make comparisons among the groups of undocumented and legal Mexican immigrants and to study the effects of legal status on their living conditions. The author also examines the findings of a number of other social scientists, providing a comprehensive summary of the data on undocumented Mexicans in the US. In his conclusion, he turns to an evaluation of policy options for incorporating this group into the US population and for immigrants. The book will be useful to sociologists and other social scientists as well as to lawyers and policy experts studying the problem of illegal immigrants.