Case Study

• This is one of the largest international labour migration streams in the world

• There were two smaller migration surges during the 1920s and 1950s when the US government encouraged temporary recruitment of Mexican guest workers

• However, persistent mass migration between Mexico and the USA only took hold over the last 40 years

• The states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have higher concentrations of Mexican migrants due to:

  • Proximity to the border

  • Higher demand for immigrant farm workers

  • Long-established urban Mexican communities 

• It is estimated that 24% of foreign-born residents in the USA were Mexican, accounting for more than 10.9 million people 

• Mexicans account for 51% of all unauthorised immigrants in the US (Migration Policy Institute, 2020)

• Over the last few years, the number of migrants has decreased due to:

  • Tougher immigration enforcement 

  • Strengthening of the Mexican economy

  • Increased US Border Patrols

  • COVID-19

• The arguments posed against Mexican immigrants are:

  • Negative environmental effects due to increased population

  • Threat to established US culture

  • Undermines employment of low-skilled US workforce

  • Immigrants' low incomes can contribute to an increase in crime and drug trafficking

  • Increased costs of healthcare, education and detention 

• Others see these points as racist and uncharitable and argue that Mexicans have brought many advantages to the country:

  • Spanish is now widely taught in schools in the USA to widen the skills of young people

  • Increased tax payments to the government

  • Mexican food and music have become increasingly popular in the USA

  • There is a National Taco Day in the United States

Pull factors include:

• Higher average incomes in the USA

• Lower unemployment rates in the USA

• High population growth in Mexico results in faster labour force growth and competition for few available jobs

• Quality of life is better in the USA than in Mexico

• Ability to send remittances back to Mexico

Push factors include:

• High crime rates in Mexico

• Higher unemployment and poverty rates 

• High rates of subsistence farming

• Hot arid and semi-arid conditions cause water shortages, which also limits agricultural potential

• Natural hazards such as earthquakes

Impacts of migration on the country of origin—Mexico

• Rural areas are left with a shortage of economically active people

• In some rural areas, women outnumber men, with women having problems finding a suitable marriage partner 

• Certain villages, such as Santa Ines, have lost two-thirds of their inhabitants

• Remittances from Mexicans in the US have become one of Mexico’s most important sources of income and boosted Mexican economy

• In Axochiapan, husbands and fathers are absent for years, leaving women to raise their children, with the community becoming increasingly dependent on remittances

• Critics argue that dependence on remittances can slow local initiatives and incentives for people to move forward

• Young adults tend to migrate, leaving an ageing community behind

• With fewer children, these communities will gradually die out

Impacts of migration on the country of destination (U.S.A.)

• Illegal immigration costs the U.S. millions of dollars for border patrols, fences and detention centres

• Mexicans are seen as a drain on the U.S. economy

• Migrant workers keep wages low, which affects unskilled Americans

• Cultural and racial issues are increased in urban regions 

• The US economy benefits from low-wage Mexican migrants 

• Mexican culture has enriched the US border states with food, language and music, along with

  National Taco Day, mariachi bands, etc.

• The majority of illegal Mexican immigrants work as janitors, truck drivers, gardeners, construction labourers, or manual labour

• Tension has risen over concerns about the availability of jobs for working-class Americans and other immigrants

• Opposition to illegal immigration has seen the rise of 'Minutemen' groups; these are civilian groups who patrol the U.S. borders and confront illegal workers around the country

• Remittances are seen as money lost from the American Economy

• In 2021, $48.9bn was sent to Mexico from the U.S