Im/migration to Mexico: Identifying Compositional Shifts within Mexico and at the Southern Border

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 13. Return migration / migration to Mexico

Abstract

Transit migration through Mexico from Central and South America to the U.S. has grown over the past decades. However, increasingly stringent U.S. policies that have pushed border enforcement into Mexico have complicated the nature of these migrant flows. With insights from emerging work indicating the growth of a “temporary permanent” migrant population, this study asks whether Mexico is transitioning away from a nation of emigration to one of immigration. Specifically, we ask whether the composition of immigrants living in Mexico and long-term migrants arriving at the Mexican southern border have shifted since 2010. Second, among migrants arriving at Mexico’s southern border, what determines migrants’ “long-term” intentions, regardless of their final destination? We use data from the Mexican Census (2010, 2020) and the EMIF-SUR (2010-23) to address these questions. This study will provide insights that add to the growing call for more work on Mexico’s emergence as an im/migrant destination.

Authors

• Jenjira Yahirun, Bowling Green State University

• Grecia Garcia-Castellon, Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University

• Kammi Schmeer, Ohio State University