We explored migration decisions using in-depth, semistructured interviews with male and female youth ages 14 to 24 (n = 47) from two Mexican communities, one with high and one with low U.S. migration density. Half were return migrants and half were nonmigrants with relatives in the United States. Migrant and nonmigrant youth expressed different…

In the 1990s, Mexican immigration dispersed spatially, leading to the emergence of many "new destinations," in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States. Previous studies constrain the scope of the analysis to the United States, limiting our understanding of how new destinations are formed. We place new destination formation into a…

Today, many families find that they are unable to fulfill the goal of maintaining a household by living together under the same roof. Some members migrate internationally. This article addresses the consequences of a transnational lifestyle for children who are left behind by migrant parents. Using ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with a…

Uses 1980 Public Use Microfiles to delineate four Mexican-origin immigrant status groups--post-1975 Mexican-born noncitizens, pre-1975 Mexican-born noncitizens, self-reported naturalized citizens, and native-born Mexican Americans. Argues that the pattern of sociodemographic differences reveals that the first two categories contain a substantial…

Analysis of data on approximately 14,000 individuals in 43 Mexican villages examined how gender relations and expectations differentiate male and female patterns of Mexico-to-U.S. migration. Education and migration were related positively for women but negatively for men. Age, marital status, and social networks also had differential effects on…

Existing data on illegal immigration in the U.S. is inadequate. The limited availability of macrodata on the size of the annual flows and of the accumulated stock of individuals as well as of microdata on their influence on selected labor markets has been used to forestall policy reform efforts. (Author/RDN)

Based on interviews conducted with undocumented workers in the El Paso-Juarez (Mexico) metropolitan area, describes living and working conditions of such workers and the migration routes that they follow. Also discusses social networks among undocumented Mexican workers and recounts some of the interviewees' experiences with the U.S. Border…

Examines a Mexican "culture of migration," in which U.S. migration becomes an expectation for young people. Among approximately 7,000 secondary students surveyed in Zacatecas (Mexico), adolescents from families involved in U.S. migration were more likely to aspire to live and work in the United States, increasing the likelihood they…

Interviews with 20 Zapotec immigrants from Oaxaca (Mexico) to Los Angeles examined their immigration experiences and adjustment to life in the United States. Discussion covers immigration from Oaxaca; living conditions, illiteracy, education, and language usage in the village of San Lucas Quiavini; immigration patterns; ethnicity and Oaxacan…

Compares the 1980 census count of aliens with estimates of the legally resident alien population based on data collected by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in January 1980. Provides estimates for each of the states for selected countries of birth and for age, sex, and period of entry categories. (RDN)

Census data were used to test various hypotheses about growing Latino concentration and economic deterioration in rural California communities and found factors related to both Latino inmigration and White outmigration. Public policy implications are discussed relative to improving ethnic relations and building human capital to support economic…

Examines the relationships among human capital, employment, and ethnic factors, and return migration to the Southwest among Chicanos using an integrated human capital framework and data for 1,926 Chicano householders. Results suggest the importance of various human capital, employment, and ethnic composition variables as predictors of Chicano…