Moving Populations:
US-Mexico Border
Dr. Kevon Rhiney
Department of Geography & Geology University of the West Indies - Mona
GEOG1131: Population, Migration & Settlement Tuesday October 20, 2015
Lecture Outline
Introduction: Evolution of US Immigration Laws
Extent of Mexico USA migration
Understanding the border
Push and pull factors
Policy features
Early years
6,000 a year
(numbers are uncertain)
French refugees (slave revolt in Haiti)
After 1820 federal records were kept
- Irish (famine of 1845-1849) - .5 million Germans
1850 first census to ask for “place of birth”
- 90% of population was native born
Timeline of US immigration laws
1776 - Unrestricted
1795 - Naturalization Act - Citizenship limited to "free white persons" residing in the US who renounce allegiance to
former country
1850s - Emergence of "Know Nothing Party" seeking to
"purify" the nation by restricting immigration and altering citizenship requirements (lasted less than 10 years)
1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act - Fear of competition from Chinese workers led to prevention of any further Chinese entering the US
1892 - Ellis Island, NY set up to regulate immigration
1917 - Immigration Act of 1917 - Further restrictions on immigration, expanding the classes of foreigners excluded from US. It imposed a literacy test and designated an Asiatic Barred Zone.
Evolution of US Immigration Laws:
1920s-1950s
Quantitative restrictions in the 1920s
- First Quota law enacted in 1921 The Immigration Act of 1924
- Restricted immigration levels to 150,000 person p.a. and had an explicit preference for certain nationalities (Western
Europeans)
- reduced quotas of immigrants deemed "less desirable", such as Russian (Jews) and Italians (Catholics)
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952 eased the restrictions, while maintaining the national origins premise
- Consolidation of immigration laws and abolished Asian Barred Zone.
- Race was eliminated as a bar to immigration, all countries were allocated a minimum quota of 100 immigrants
Evolution of US Immigration Laws:
1960s-1980s
National quotas were replaced in 1965 by a complex system granting priority to the following groups:
(i)Those with US relatives; (ii) People needed to fill vacant US jobs (iii) Refugees
Most immigrants came from LA and Asia instead of Europe
Economic Instability during the 1980s retriggered concerns about immigration
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986: (i) increased enforcement along the Mexico-US border (ii) Employer sanctions (iii) Amnesty for long-term undocumented residents (granted lawful permanent
residency to over 2.7 mn undocumented immigrants) (iv) special legalization program for agricultural workers
Evolution of US Immigration Laws:
Post-1980s
Immigration levels: avg. 450,000 (1970s); 60,000 (1980s) and 1 million per year (1990s)
Legal Immigration Act of 1990: provisions for increased inflow of skilled immigrants to the US
- Flexible cap of 675,000 immigrants/year beginning in 1995: (i) 480,000 allocated to family sponsored immigrants (ii) 140,000 for employment-based purposes and (iii) 55,000 to ‘diversity immigrants’
1990s focus shifted to illegal immigrants’ access to welfare e.g. Proposition 187 in1994
Immigration policies since 9/11
Increased fear over border security; reconciling
labour market demand for immigration control and tightened border security
Responsibility for immigration and border control consolidated under the new Department of
Homeland Security (DHS)
2001 Provide Appropriate Toos Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act: (i) expanded the range of offences for
deportation (ii) made it easier to detain non-US citizens
Controlling unathorized migration remains a major political issue (from no immigrants to no borders)
Extent of Mexico USA migration
1990: 4.3 million ‘foreign born’ from Mexico in USA
2002: 9.9 million ‘foreign born’ from Mexico in USA
4 million in California, 2.1 million in Texas
Mexicans = 3.3% of total US population
11.6% in CA; 9% in Texas; 8.5% in Arizona
Est. 11 million illegal immigrants in the USA in 2008 (Centre for Immigration Studies)
Approx. 56% were from Mexico
What is the Situa+on?
• There is a 2000km border between USA and Mexico.
• 1 million + Mexicans migrate to the USA every year.
• Illegal migration is a huge problem for USA and Mexico
• US Border Patrol guard the border and try to prevent illegal immigrants
• 850,000 were caught in 1995 and were deported
Foreign-born from Mexico as percentage of
total US population (2000)
Push factors
Complex and interlinked
Striking disparity in income levels between Mexico and the USA
GNP : > $24,750 in USA cf. $3,750 in Mexico
Poor medical facilities
Limited job opportunities (40% unemployed)
Gender inequality
Occasionally: fear of persecution
Caution! Do not expose your life to the
elements.
It's not
worth it.
Tijuana, Mexico
People will do anything to
cross the
border....
Pull factors
Strength of US economy; many low paid jobs
Relatives and friends (provide social network)
Improved accessibility to health care
Improved educational opportunities
(although illegal migrants might find it extremely
difficult to access such services)
Understanding the border
Treaty if Guadeloupe Hidalgo (1848): Mexico lost 40% of its territory; border formalized in current location
“We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us”
Many transnational linkages: political, economic, social
Borders as barriers
Borders as sites of connection
Borders as sites of tension (e.g. Zoot Suit Riot circa 1940s)
Key policy features I
Proposition 187
- Californian initiative (1994)
- Limits access to social services for undocumented migrants
- Increased surveillance and policing by local authorities (e.g. school teachers, nurses etc.)
Key policy features II
Operation Gatekeeper (1994)
- Intensified surveillance of the San Diego section of the border
- Increased number of US Border Patrol agents - Increased surveillance equipment and different
structures
Useful sites
Migration Policy Institute
- http://www.migrationpolicy.org/
US Census Bureau - www.census.gov/