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Mexican Immigration to the United States

From debates on Capitol Hill to the popular media, Mexican immigrants are the subject of widespread controversy.  By 2003, their growing numbers accounted for 28.3 percent of all foreign-born inhabitants of the United States. Mexican Immigration to the United States analyzes the astonishing economic impact of this historically unprecedented exodus. Why do Mexican immigrants gain citizenship and employment at a slower rate than non-Mexicans? Does their migration to the U.S. adversely affect the working conditions of lower-skilled workers already residing there? And how rapid is the intergenerational mobility among Mexican immigrant families?

This authoritative volume provides a historical context for Mexican immigration to the U.S. and reports new findings on an immigrant influx whose size and character will force us to rethink economic policy for decades to come. Mexican Immigration to the United States will be necessary reading for anyone concerned about social conditions and economic opportunities in both countries.

Reviews

"[The articles] are of interest outside the US simply because mobility across the US-Mexico friontier . . . is the most advanced case of problems affecting much of the developed world; the lessons of policy innovation are well-documented and abundant. . . . A rich collection of thoughtful, rigorous and original contributions."

Nigel Harris | Development Policy Review

"This data driven collection is one that should be of interest to academic audiences, policymakers, and students of immigration generally. . . . The papers enhance knowledge of the economic consequences of immigration for both Mexico and the U.S. and point to important directions for future research."

Michelle Johnson | Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare

"This is a useful book. . . . [It] will inform those scholars who are seeking to bring balance and empirical evidence to this highly emotinal subject."

Daniel M. Masterson | Latin American Studies

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
George J. Borjas

1. The Evolution of the Mexican-Born Workforce in the United States
George J. Borjas and Lawrence F. Katz

2. Gender and Assimilation among Mexican Americans
Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn

3. Mexican Assimilation in the United States
Edward P. Lazear

4. Mexican Entrepreneurship: A Comparison of Self-Employment in Mexico and the United States
Robert W. Fairlie and Christopher Woodruff

5. Mexican Immigration and Self-Selection: New Evidence from the 2000 Mexican Census
Pablo Ibarraran and Darren Lubotsky
 
6. The Diffusion of Mexican Immigrants during the 1990s: Explanations and Impacts
David Card and Ethan G. Lewis

7. Ethnic Identification, Intermarriage, and Unmeasured Progress by Mexican Americans
Brian Duncan and Stephen J. Trejo

8. Impacts of Policy Reforms on Labor Migration from Rural Mexico to the United States
Susan M. Richter, J. Edward Taylor, and Antonio Yúnez-Naude

9. Emigration, Labor Supply, and Earnings in Mexico
Gordon H. Hanson

Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index

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