The Rifts and Challenges of U.S.-Mexico Migration: A New Migration Information Source Special Issue

WASHINGTON (March 1, 2004) Migration may be the most important item on the agenda for the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vincente Fox in Texas on March 5 and 6. By far, Mexicans constitute the largest source of immigration to the United States, making up nearly a third of the 32.5 million foreign born living in the United States. Mexican immigrants, legal and unauthorized, have come to play a central role in the economies on either side of the border and in community life across the United States. Why, then, has reaching a thoughtful accommodation between the two countries on migration been so difficult? 

The Migration Information Source, at www.migrationinformation.org, has just released a Special Issue on U.S.-Mexico migration. The Source resources and articles by seasoned analysts in both countries tackle, in one place, some of the thorniest issues that continue to make progress in this area painstakingly slow, politically perilous, and socially complex for both governments.

"There are numerous historical, practical, demographic, and political factors that make this migration relationship among the most intriguing and trend-setting in the world," said Kimberly Hamilton, Managing Editor of The Source. "This Special Issue provides a window into the dynamic forces driving the migration relationship and the long legacy of Mexican migration to the United States."

Articles include:

The Mexico Factor in U.S. Immigration Reform
MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou maps out the historic challenges and opportunities in U.S.-Mexico relations in the wake of President Bush's immigration reform proposal.

Mexican Immigration to the U.S.: The Latest Estimates
Jeffrey Passel of the Urban Institute provides a context for understanding the presence of roughly 5.3 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States.

U.S. Temporary Worker Programs: Lessons Learned
MPI Senior Fellow and former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner examines the challenges and opportunities, past and present, posed by temporary migrant labor programs.

From Traitors to Heroes: 100 Years of Mexican Migration Policies
Jorge Durand of the University of Guadalajara examines Mexico's long history of and ambivalent attitude toward migration to the United States.

Mexico-U.S. Migration: A Long Way to Go
Mexican negotiators seek shared responsibility for U.S.-Mexico migration issues, according to Gustavo Mohar, former chief negotiator for migration affairs at the Mexican Embassy in the United States.

Mexican Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Force
MPI's Elizabeth Grieco and Brian Ray outline the characteristics of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. workforce.

Mexico: A Crucial Crossroads
Francisco Alba of El Colegio de Mexico addresses the "tense immobility" that has characterized U.S.-Mexico migration discussions.

"There is no doubt that Mexico will hold a prominent place both in the debates on and the solutions to U.S. immigration reform," said Demetrios Papademetriou. "Mexico is the place where any new immigration legislation will be tested first, and most powerfully."