Who is migrating from Mexico to the United States, and why are they migrating? Since 1982, the Mexican Migration Project (MMP), co-directed by this volume’s special editors, has annually gathered data on documented and undocumented migration to the United States from random samples of households in sending communities located throughout Mexico and in US destination areas. Over the years, the project has compiled an extensive database of valid and reliable information on the patterns and processes of recent Mexican migration to the United States—and what the information reveals is surprising given the nature of national discussion on the topic in recent years.
This volume gathers contributions from scholars who draw on official statistics and MMP data to address the gap between public perceptions of U.S.-Mexico migration and the ramifications of these perceptions for U.S. policy. The research here cuts through ideological rhetoric, anecdotal evidence, lingering misconceptions, and untested theories to provide clear and solid analysis to better inform immigration policymaking moving forward.
