U.S. Policy and Mexican Migration to the United States, 1942-92.

IMMIGRANTS; MEXICANS; UNITED States emigration & immigration; WAGES; PROFESSIONAL employees

The article examines the relationship between United States policy and Mexican immigration to the United States. It is possible that U.S. policy has become less effective over time so that recent policy changes have affected overall migration flows far less than in the past. With enough people migrating, social ties between U.S. employers, migrants, and others facilitate the movement of new migrants and encourage the repeated movement of experienced migrants. Thus, the entire process becomes institutionalized and self-sustaining. Once they migrate on a first trip, men and women are virtually assured of migrating on additional trips. In general, a weakened relationship between policy and migration may derive from the emotional debate in which many conceptualize international migration. As the dollar value of minimum wages dropped in the 1980s, skilled employment in the United States became a more attractive alternative for Mexicans than in the past. The migration of skilled Mexican workers is likely to continue because the new Immigration Act of 1990 has tripled the number of visas allocated to skilled professionals and because migrant networks have helped socialize these workers in the United States in the 1980s.