Uma A. SegalJournal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies

School of Social Work & Center for International StudiesUniversity of Missouri—St. Louis, U.S.A.

MEXICAN MIGRATION TO THE USAA Focus on Missouri

Immigrants, Policies and Migration Systems:An Ethnographic Comparative Approach(MIGSYS)

October 2-3, 2008

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Policies

• Immigration policies (admission)– Who we let in– Why we let them in– Who we keep out and how

• Immigrant policies (integration)– Once they are in, how do we help them

integrate?– What resources do we allow them to access?– Are there any stipulations to accessing

resources?

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Continua of Interest: Host Country Attitudes

Political & Cultural

Considerations

I II

Economic

Effects

III IV

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Immigration Control Policies

• External immigration control—prevention – Border enforcement (U.S. primary focus)

– Visa/passport control

• Internal immigration control—enforcement – Workplace enforcement

– Apprehension & Deportation

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Level of Deprivation in Mexico

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Legal & Unauthorized Immigrants

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/wdc/usdiversity/index.html?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/07/immigration_map/index_01.htm

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Total U.S. & documented Mexican Populations, 2007, in thousands

AGEUnited States

Mexican Missouri Mexican

Number % Number % Number % Number %Total Male and Female 301,621 100.0 29,167 9.7 5,878 100.0 122 2.1

Under 18 years 73,908 25.5 10,645 3.5 1,370 23.3 47 0.8

18- 65 years 189,872 63.0 17,280 5.7 3,727 63.4 71 1.2

65+ years 37,841 12.5 1,242 0.4 782 13.3 4 0.0

                 

MEDIAN AGE (years) 36.7 (X) 25.8 (X) 37.5 (X) 23.9 (X)

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Occupational Distribution of Natives and Mexican Immigrants (percent)

Occupations All Mexican Immigrants

Legal Mexican Immigrants

Undocumented Mexican

Immigrants

U.S. Natives

Professional & Managerial 5.5 9.2 1.5 32.2

Technical sales, Admin., Support 10.2 15.0 4.9 29.2

Service Occupations, Private Household 1.5 1.7 1.2 0.3

Farming Managers, Forestry, Fishing 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.1

Service Occupations, Not Private Household

18.3 18.4 18.2 10.3

Farming, Except Managerial 13.4 9.7 17.5 1.0

Precision Production, Craft, and Repair 19.4 17.0 22.0 11.9

Operators, Fabricators, and Laborers

30.1 27.4 33.1 14.0

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

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In September 2007, the Missouri Legislature passed…

• imposing penalties on employers of undocumented immigrants

• restrictions on allowing the enrollment of undocumented immigrants in public higher education

• ensuring that English is used in official deliberations

• involving the Missouri Highway Patrol in enforcing immigration laws

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State Legislation

• Education• Employment • Health • Human Trafficking• ID/Driver’s

Licenses• Law Enforcement

• Legal Services• Miscellaneous• Omnibus/Multi-Issue

Measures• Public benefits• Voting• Resolutions

MO high level activity group, passing 21+ laws (44 states together considered 1,100+ bills in the first quarter of 2008

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Data Collection

• IRB review

• Subjects– Immigration lawyer specializing in Mexican

migration– Physician/Administrator Latino Health Center– Young professional documented male– Middle aged restaurant owner who adjusted

undocumented status in the 1980s

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FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMMIGRANT/REFUGEE EXPERIENCE

Conditions in Home Country Status in Home Country Experience in Home Country

Reasons for Leaving Home Country

Push Pull

Transition to Country of Immigration

Emigration Immigration

Response to the Immigration Process

Immigrant’s resources Readiness of receiving countryfor migration for acceptance of immigrant

Adjustment to the Receiving Country’s Lifestyle & Culture

Implications for Business & Society

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Before Migrating: Nodal Point 1

• Taking the decision to move

• Economic situation

• Assessing the benefits as outweighing costs

• In Mexico, family situation poor, but not dire

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Before Migrating: Nodal Point 2

• Making the move

• Opportunities available

• Legal entry

• Tourism• Legitimate job

opportunity

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Migrating: Nodal Point 3

• Arrival

• Housing & assistance

• Authorized entry

• Overstay

• Social network• Job-related network

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After Migrating: Nodal Point 4

• Adaptation

• Social integration

• Career progression

• Satisfactory employment, education, health care, housing access

• Difficult

• Difficult if unauthorized

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Migrating: Nodal Point 5

• Settlement

• Integration

• Home purchase

• Experience of discrimination

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Most undocumented migrants in St. Louis

• are overstays• enter with family members although the

main agent is the male• are young and most women are married• retain close ties with family in Mexico• come to improve economic opportunities• were working in Mexico• “plan” on returning to Mexico at some time

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Knowledge of Policies…most

• are unaware of the range of control policies• know that there are channels to get papers

that will allow them to work• have access to word-of-mouth information

about employment opportunities• do not anticipate using welfare services• know they will pay taxes• know that their children will have access to

education

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Arrival and settlement

• Housing support through employer or through family networks

• Housing and job opportunities readily available

• Access to Social Security numbers relatively easy

• Aware of resources available but prefer to stay within Spanish speaking community

• Network of professional Mexicans not readily accessible…isolation

• Plans are to earn enough to return to Mexico and live comfortably

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Changes in Migration Patterns

• Circular migration replaced by permanency in migration

• Equal gender migration and increases in child migration

• Movement from border states to less populated states

• Settlement in small towns rather than urban or rural areas

• Border control may be working…September 2008

• http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/wdc/usdiversity/index.html?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME

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Additional Issues• Immigration vs. immigrant policies• Are current U.S. policies just?• Who should be admitted? Who should be denied?• How is information about policies disseminated?• Is there an adequate infrastructure to implement

immigration/immigrant policies?• How can implementation be evaluated?• What are the short- and long-term consequences of U.S.

immigration policies

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Understanding of Immigration

• Usually immigrants and immigrant experiences

• Explore further Nodal Points 1 & 2– Who does not seek to emigrate?– Who rejects the idea of emigrating?

• “Better” opportunity in Mexico• Lost benefits of moving• Fear of immigration control policies• No resources to move

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Recent observations in EU countries

• Concerns about keeping the population

• How can economic opportunities be created in sending countries…case of Korea, Japan, India?

• Economic opportunities in host countries balanced against loss of culture/networks

Thank you

In general…the U.S. is receptive to newcomers…it is still the land of opportunity…

Uma A. Segal

University of Missouri – St. Louis, U.S.A.