Mexican Migration to the

United States of America.

 Mexico USA:
BACKGROUND
Napoleonic war
ignites struggle
for independence
Struggle lasts
ten years
Treaty of
Cordoba (1821)
Mexico: an
independent
state)
 Mexican Colonization Law
(1820 1830)
Texas in 1820 4,000 Mexicans
Solicited immigrants from USA

American immigrants could receive a League & Labor of

land if they
Became Mexican citizens.
Obeyed Mexican laws.
Converted to Catholicism

Slavery was illegal

 Tensions lead to war
Independence

April 6, 1830 - the Mexican government

forbids further American emigration to Texas.
1835 - October 9, the Battle of Goliad takes
place and ends with a victory for Texas.
On December 11, the Seige of Bexar ends
with the Texans capturing Santa Anna
Mexican president
 Mexican/American Relations
Mexican American
War (1846 -48)
Set in motion by US
annexation of Texas
Fighting was one-
sided
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo (1848)
Mexico loses 40% of
territory
Mexicans living in
territory become U.S.
citizens
U.S. pays $15 million
for territory acquired
U.S. Dominates North America
Caribbean Basin
 The Great Depression
High unemployment rates led to hostility
towards Mexican immigrants
Deportation but situation is Mexico is
worse
Migrant work camps established by U.S.
Farm Security Administration
Provided necessities
Protection
Sense of community
 Migration Continues
despite legal prohibitions
Tensions
Ethnic groups in U. S. react to growing
Mexican community in the cities
Zoot Suit Riot in L.A. (1942)
 World War II: Immigration
from Mexico tolerated
Factories lit up to support war effort
Need: low-cost agricultural labor
Bracero joint program between U.S. and
Mexico to contract laborers for these jobs
Popular with farmers
5 million Mexicans came as braceros
Once war ended, U.S. deported 4 million
immigrants back to Mexico, again
This was a larger deportation than during the
Depression
 lure of Jobs reignites

immigration
Bracero from
Program (1950-964) Mexico
Mexicans continue
their working relationship with US farmers.
Maquiladora program -
Factories within 50 miles of U.S. border given tariff
preferences
developed to curtail the job incentive for new
immigration
Higher US wages continued to attract migrants
Immigration act of 1987
Intended to ensure that Mexican workers here were
legal
Failure to close border led to increased immigration
 Mexican Immigration
Surges
Present currently 20 million legal residents of
Mexican heritage in U.S.
1990s more legal immigrants came from Mexico
than all European countries combined
Illegal immigration surges (10 million plus)
Mexican-Americans influence culture in USA
Communication UNAVISION
Jobs in most professions
Public office (Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court )
Projections: within two generations, over 25% of
the U.S. residents will be of Mexican origin
largest part Mexican
 The Wage Comparison
The minimum wage in Mexico is about 57
cents an hour. About 12.5 times less than
that in the USA.
This offers a huge incentive for immigrants
to come here to work and send money
home to their impoverished families.
Economic crisis in Mexico in 1994
exacerbated the wage differential.
 Economic Crisis of 1994
Devaluation of the Mexican peso

Occurred on the watch of Mexican

President Carlos Salinas Gortari

Insurgent rebellion in Chipas shook the

nation
 Lack of Foresight
De Gortari launched
a high spending
splurge

Lax banking
surrounded the
government loan

20 % over
specualation of the
Peso
 Recovery/Aid
NAFTA almost derailed

$50 billion dollars in loans/aid issued

mostly from the U. S.

Loans quickly repaid, but recovery difficult

Wages fell sharply

 Effects on Population
Movement
Migration to the U.S. (much of it illegal)
increased

Family connections channeled new migrants

The more Mexican people that migrate, the

larger the network becomes

Many Mexican women migrate after their

husbands have established themselves n the
U.S.
 Effects on Population
Movement: Women

Female migration to the United States

increased
Rapidly catching up with the number of male
migrants
Low paying jobs (seamstress, maids)

Prostitution
U.S. role dates back to prohibition
Relatively high-paying - $100 per day)
Violence remains a concern
 Mexican Migration:
What is Unique?
While the United States is a nation of
immigrants, we have never has one
foreign nationality come in so rapidly and
in such numbers
Potential to change U.S. culture and
institutions is unprecedented