Migration histories from residents of a rural Michoacan town were used to construct successive migrant cohorts for the period 1940-1978. Analysis indicates that prior to 1965, migration was limited primarily to male agricultural workers. Since 1965, increased numbers of women, children, and legal U.S. residents have made up the migrant population.…

Examines the process of integration and settlement among Mexican migrants. The following social and economic developments increase the likelihood that migrants will settle in the United States: (1) bringing family members; (2) making new friends; 3) establishing institutional connections; and (4) obtaining stable, better-paying jobs.(Author/PS)

Legal migrants from rural Michoacan, Mexico, tended to migrate in larger groups than illegal migrants and were more likely to be accompanied by wives and children. Legal migrants also spent less time away from home each year and demonstrated greater geographic mobility while in the United States than illegals. (Author/GC)

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…

This article examines the effects of legal status on wage rates among Mexican migrants. The findings show little wage discrimination against illegal migrants, but their illegal status does reduce the duration of their stay. The total amount of employer capital spent on them is less than that for legal migrants. (VM)

Replicates prior research into the determinants of English language proficiency among immigrants using a dataset that controls for potential biases stemming from selective emigration, omitted variables, and the mismeasurement of key constructs. It finds that English proficiency rises with exposure to U.S. society and that a pattern exists in…