The Third Law of Migration: Emigration and Violence in Modern Mexico

• In Event: 549 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Theorizing Migration and Assimilation

Abstract

In this article I develop a theoretical model for understanding the relationship between emigration and crime. In the United States immigration contributes to lower crime rates by reviving marginalized neighborhoods. On the other side of the border, mass emigration and remittances introduce conspicuous consumption into local economies without contributing to the type of economic growth that would allow non-migrants to access social mobility. As a result, the social strain generated by migrant culture may increase the appeal of drug trafficking and other forms of illicit employment to those that are unable to migrate or do not directly benefit from the welfare provided by diaspora communities. Related to this, I contend that emigration drains migrant-sending communities of the exact types of economic, human, and social capital that typically mitigate crime. Given this, although temporary and insanely risky, organized crime appears to increasingly represents one potential alternative for young individuals residing in migrant-sending regions who desire to participate in the consuming culture de jour but lack the means to do so.

Author

• Benjamin Waddell, Adams State University