Some Empirical Effects of US Immigration Policies on the Flow of Mexican Immigrants

Abstract

This article describes how the basic characteristics of the migratory flow between Mexico and the United States evolved between April 1993 and November 1995, emphasizing changes in volume, socio- demographic traits, the labor market, and familial and social links with the places of arrival and departure in both countries. This article places particular emphasis on California, which is not only the principal destination of Mexican immigrants but also the North American state which best illustrates the tensions between a series of anti-immigrant policies and the economy's reliance on an immigrant labor force. California is also the state which has most consistently enforced these measures, thereby becoming an area where Federal policies, such as strengthening border control coexist with state measures such as the bill known as 187. This paper also posits a series of hypotheses on the short-term impact of US immigration policy.