Causes of migration - from Mexico to the US

Content guide: 

Pulls: 

• employment 

• health care 

• education 

• Reliable water supplies

• Reliable food supplies

• Electricity

• To be near friends/family

• Border controls

 

Pushes:

• Lack of work

• Poverty

• Natural disasters

• Political issues

• War

• Persecution

• Crime 

 

Place specific reference: Named parts of the chosen country, Population data. Etc.

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Introduction:

• Mass movement from Mexico to the US started in 1964.

• It gathered pace in the 80s. 

• Rocketed in the 90s and early 2000

• Mexicans make up about 19.5% of all foreigners in the USA.

 

PULL FACTORS

Employment:

• A main reason for Mexican migration is the demand for labour in farms in California, Texas and Illinois. 

• America offers comparatively well-paid jobs, with GDP per capita = $46,860.

 

Better healthcare:

• America has only around 400 people per doctor, vs Mexico: 1800 people per doctor.  

• Life expectancy in the US is around 77 years, while in Mexico it is 70 years.

• Mexicans have to move to the US even for basic essentials like healthcare and water. 

 

Better education:

• 86.1% of the Mexican population can read and write vs. 99% of American population. 

• Majority of students in Mexico finish school at the age of 14 vs. 16 in America. 

• This shows that there are better academic opportunities in America than in Mexico. 

• Mexicans move to the US for better education for themselves, or to give their future children more opportunities and allow them to gain higher paying jobs. 

 

Entertainment: ‘bright light syndrome’:

• Mexicans are attracted by the lights and glamorous lifestyles in the US, which is regarded as a sign of better opportunities. 

 

Existing migrant communities & families:

• Existing migrant communities in states such as Texas and California attract immigrants, and also make it easier for migrant families to settle. 

• Cousins and siblings often move in with their relatives after they have lived in America for a while, in order to be with their families.

 

PUSH FACTORS

Poverty:

• Despite being 11th richest country in the world, Mexico has the 10th highest poverty. 

• 45% of the population live under the poverty line. 

 

Unemployment:

• Mexico's unemployment rate for 2021 was 4.38%

• Majority of the Mexican population are farmers, living in rural areas where extreme temperatures and poor quality land make it difficult to farm. 

 

Healthcare + water supply:​

• There are about 1800 people per doctor.  

• 6% of the population in Mexico lack access to ‘improved’ drinking water.

 

Violence & crime:

• Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, etc. between Latin America and the United States. 

• Drug trafficking and organised crime has greatly increased violent crime in Mexico. 

• Crime rates in 2019 were 18.74. 

• Homicide rates are around 10-14 per 100,000 people 

 

Natural disasters:

• Mexico is a very arid area that suffers from water shortages even in the more developed areas. 

• It suffers from natural disasters including volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, & tsunamis. Natural disasters force people to migrate if their homes are destroyed.

• People who live in danger zones migrate out of fear.

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Impacts of migration on the destination country - from Mexico to the US

Content guide:

• Labour supply: cheap labour, skilled labour 

• Many immigrants will do dirty/low paid jobs

• Pressure on employment; competition for jobs for local people 

• Economic growth 

• Need for more housing/creation of ghettos etc

• Pressure on public services, e.g. health care, education

• Provision of a variety of services e.g. ethnic restaurants

• Increases size of market for local businesses

• Pressure on services 

• Cultural diversity, cuisines, etc.

• Cultural understanding

• Racial tension

 

Place specific reference: Named parts of the chosen country, Countries where migrants have arrived from, Population data etc. 

 

BENEFITS

Labour & economic growth:

• 36% of workers in farming, fishing, building, etc. are all Mexican. 

• These workers are mobile and quicker than American workers, and can swiftly move around the country in response to shortages in local labour markets. 

• This way the industries fill in the gaps without reducing productivity or profits. 

• Mexican immigration to the United States encourages increased trade and investment, leading to an economic growth in both countries

• Migration also benefits the US housing industry; homes have become cheaper for Americans.

 

Cuisine & culture:

• The influence of culinary staples like tortillas, salsa and burritos have become a part of the American diet.

• This influence has also given birth to Tex-Mex cuisine.

• Mexican music has improved the cultural diversity of the US.

• Many migrants don't speak fluent English. As a result, most American schools now teach Spanish. This widens the skill sets & potential careers of the American youth. 

 

PROBLEMS

Pressure on housing:

• Typically, immigrant families are larger than the average U.S.-born families.

• This makes it difficult to find homes that can accommodate large households.

• As a result, most Mexican immigrants live in overcrowded and insecure conditions.

• Evidence has also shown that immigration has increased housing prices and rents. 

 

Pressure on education:

• The influx of Mexican migrants pose enormous challenges to the nation’s public school system.

 

Pressure on employment:

• Many companies have replaced Americans with cheap migrant labour, which has led to increasing unemployment. 

• Desperate Americans are now forced to work for the same cheap wages as the migrants. 

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Loss due to remittances:

• Mexico is the 2nd highest receiver of remittances in the world; remittances from the US to Mexico reached a record high of $56 billion in 2022.

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Crime rates:

• Crime rates have greatly increased in migrant-occupied areas of the US, especially drug-related crimes.

• 1000s of pounds of the drug fentanyl flows into the US from Mexico per month. 

 

Racial tension

• Mexican-Americans face racist violence, which is documented in the Oral History Archive in the US. 

• This has increased racial tensions in workplaces and schools. 

• Overall 37% of Mexicans in the US say very little attention is paid to such issues. 

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Impacts of migration on the home country - from Mexico to the US

Content guide

Positive 

• remittances/money brought back

• creates employment/ reduces pressure on employment

• less pressure on health care and education

• May return with skills

 

Negative 

• impacts on population structure

• loss of skilled workers

• social impacts

• impact on food supplies

• impact on defence/army

 

Place specific reference: Named parts of the chosen country/locational detail, population data etc. 

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BENEFITS

Remittances:​

• Mexico is the second-highest receiver of remittances in the world.

• Remittances from U.S. to Mexico reached a record of $56 billion in 2022.

• Remittances have greatly increased foreign exchange received by Mexican economy.

 

Less pressure on employment/healthcare/education:

• As people move out of Mexico there is less pressure on employment/jobs.

• Unemployment rate in 2021 = 4.38%, and unemployment rate in 2023 = 2.6%.

• There is less pressure on health services and education 

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Skills brought to the area

• Mexicans returning from the US bring new skills to their home country, especially language (English) skills.

• Nearly 50% of migrants who learned various skills in the US started businesses upon return to Mexico.

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Exports to the US

• Mexico is the 2nd largest source of foreign crude oil to the US.

• In 2020, 77% of imported produce in the US was from Mexico. 

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PROBLEMS

Impacts population structure:

• The percentage of the dependent population is greatly increasing, with the economically active workforce leaving the country.

• There is not enough workforce to pay taxes to support the dependent population (especially the elderly).

• The lack of young fertile couples is reducing the birth rate in Mexico:

 

Loss of skilled workers:

• Mexico has a shortage of potential workers to fill newly freed jobs.

• It faces a shortage of doctors/ other medical professionals: 1800 people per doctor.

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Social impacts:

• In the city of Axochiapan, fathers and husbands are absent for many years and women are left alone to raise the children.

• Since most males leave the country, women are unable to find partners & get married, so have children out of wedlock.

• In many towns all windows are closed and all doors are locked, since most women are living alone.

• The village of Jomulquillo has almost become a ghost town, with only 80 people living there; 300 live in Los Angeles. 

 

Impact on food supplies:

• Mexico’s population is very dependent on food grown in Mexico. 

• Majority of migrants that move from Mexico are from rural areas, thus causing a shortage of farmers, increasing food shortages in Mexico.

 

Impact on defence/army

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Difficulties faced by migrants - from Mexico to the US

Content guide

Moving to

• Cost of transport

• Distance/difficulty/danger of journey

• Difficulty of obtaining work VISA/ Green card

 

Settling in

• Difficulty in obtaining job

• Language problems

• Unable to afford housing

• Discrimination 

 

Place specific reference: named parts of chosen country, population data, etc. 

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WHILE MOVING TO THE US

Cost of transport:

• Migrant smugglers help Mexicans gain illegal entry into America.

• In 2019, a Mexican migrant could pay $4,500 at most to cross into the US. However, this amount has tripled within two years.

• Migrants also need to pay for flights to Mexican border cities, meals, hotel stays that can last weeks until smugglers decide it is time to set off. 

 

Danger of journey:

• As migrants journey across central America and Mexico, they often face violence, including sexual assault and abduction.

• Around 728 migrants died crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021.

 

Difficulty of obtaining work VISA/ Green card:

• Mexican immigrants struggle to get green cards due to their inadequate English skills, lower levels of education and inability to afford the US citizenship application.

• Around 6.2 million (56%) of all unauthorised migrants are from Mexico. 

 

WHILE SETTLING IN

Jobs:

• 36% of workers in farming, fishing, building, etc. are all Mexican. 

• To get into industries like health care, immigrants may need to repeat years of education and training. 

• 20 to 25% of college-educated immigrants are severely underemployed.

 

Language problems:

• In 2021, around 65% Mexicans had limited English proficiency, compared to around 46% of all immigrants.

• These language barriers make them feel isolated, antisocial and hopeless.

 

Lack of healthcare:

• 38% of Mexican immigrants in the US do not have health insurance which increases their exposure to the coronavirus and its transmission and spread. 

• They may also not seek care, due to fear of deportation. 

 

Discrimination:

• Mexican-Americans face racist violence, which is documented in the Oral History Archive in the US. 

• They are forced to labour long hours without paying overtime

• They are not offered job training or protective equipment for dangerous jobs

• They are not informed of their legal rights

• They are not allowed to form unions

• Overall 37% of Mexicans in the US say very little attention is paid to such issues. 

 

Difficult accommodation:

• Since most migrants live illegally, without required documents, they can’t choose decent housing due to fear of deportation.

• They cannot afford housing and live in overcrowded and insecure conditions.

Culture shocks: Mexican youth face challenges of adapting to mainstream American culture while maintaining ties to their roots - many face major identity crises.

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