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Unlock This CourseMexico (an MIC) and the USA (an HIC) share a land border about 3,100 km long, from Tijuana and San Diego on the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the busiest migration routes in the world. Mexicans are the largest immigrant group in the USA, at about 23% of all foreign-born residents. The ideas of Types of Migrant and Why People Migrate, Impacts of International Migration and Managing International Migration are applied here to one named example.
Key terms:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1942-1964 | The Bracero scheme: millions of short farm work contracts for Mexican workers in the USA. |
| 1986 | A US law gives legal status to about 2.7 million people, most of them from Mexico, and punishes employers who hire illegally. |
| 1994 | The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) starts. Some small Mexican farmers struggle against cheaper imports. |
| 2006 | The US Secure Fence Act authorises about 700 miles (about 1,100 km) of border fencing. |
| 2007 | The Mexican-born population in the USA peaks at about 12.8 million. |
| 2009-2014 | About 1 million Mexicans leave the USA and about 870,000 arrive, so net migration is slightly negative. |
| 2022 | About 10.7 million Mexican-born people live in the USA. |
Lower wages for the same work. Unemployment and few formal jobs, especially for young people. Poverty in rural areas, such as small farms in Michoacan, Zacatecas and Oaxaca. Crime and violence, linked to drug gangs in some states.
Higher wages. Jobs in farming (such as California's Central Valley), construction and services (hotels, restaurants, cleaning). Family already there, in states such as California, Texas and Illinois, who give advice, a bed and help finding work.
Most of these migrants are economic migrants. Family networks matter a lot: a relative who has settled in Chicago or Los Angeles makes the move less risky.
| Who | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| The migrants | Economic: higher income and money to send home. Social: better schools and healthcare for children. | Social: separation from family. Many do low-paid or dangerous jobs, may be exploited, and face discrimination. Those who cross without papers risk injury and death in the desert. |
| Mexico (origin) | Economic: remittances of about US$63 billion in 2023 and US$65 billion in 2024, roughly 4% of Mexico's GDP. They pay for food, housing and schools. Fewer unemployed people. | Social and economic: loss of young workers, so some villages are left with children and older people. Skills and farm labour are lost. Families are split. |
| The USA (destination) | Economic: workers for farms, construction and services, which keeps some food and services cheaper. Many pay taxes. Social: cultural diversity, such as food, music and language. | Economic: costs for schools, healthcare and services in some areas, and debate about wages for low-paid US workers. Social: arguments about border security, illegal entry and cultural change. Environmental: fencing can block wildlife movement. |
The numbers have changed over time. After the 2007-2009 recession, fewer US jobs, tighter border controls and stronger Mexican growth meant fewer people arrived and many returned, so net migration fell after about 2008. Mexico is also now a major transit country for migrants from Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador) and elsewhere who travel north to the USA.
Border patrols, walls and fencing on parts of the border, and removal of people who enter illegally. These aim to cut illegal crossing, but they can push people to riskier desert routes and do little about the reasons for leaving.
The H-2A programme admits seasonal farm workers. About 9 in 10 H-2A visas go to Mexican citizens. It supplies legal, regulated labour for farmers, but the work is temporary and linked to one employer.
Cooperation and sustainable management. The US and Mexican governments work together on migration, for example through a joint plan agreed in 2023 and regional agreements such as the 2022 Los Angeles Declaration. Mexico has extended job programmes such as Sembrando Vida (paid tree planting and farming) to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and asked the USA to help fund them. Development programmes aim to tackle the root causes of migration by creating jobs where people live. This is the most sustainable approach because it deals with push factors, but it is slow, expensive and has uncertain results.
Writing only about "poverty" and "jobs" with no Mexican or US detail. Also, saying that migration from Mexico is still rising: net migration fell after about 2008. Name places (Tijuana, California, Central Valley), give figures with "about", and say who gains and who loses.
Study Fig. 1.1, which shows made-up data for the number of Mexican-born people living in the USA. The figures are not real.
| Year | Mexican-born people in the USA (thousands, made up) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,400 |
| 2010 | 4,100 |
| 2020 | 3,700 |
Fig. 1.1
(a) Calculate the change in the number of migrants between 2010 and 2020. [1 mark]
(b) State two push factors for migration from Mexico to the USA. [2 marks]
(c) Describe one way the USA manages migration from Mexico. [2 marks]
(d) Evaluate the impacts of migration from Mexico to the USA. [6 marks]
(a) 3,700 - 4,100 = a fall of 400 thousand (400,000). (1)
(b) Any two of: lower wages, unemployment, poverty in rural areas, crime and violence. (1 each)
(c) The H-2A visa scheme lets farm workers enter legally (1) for a season to work for an employer. (1) Accept a described alternative, such as border fencing built to stop illegal crossing (1) and patrols that remove people who cross illegally (1).
(d) For the migrants, the migration brings higher wages and money to send home, but also family separation, exploitation and the dangers of crossing the desert. Mexico gains remittances of about US$63 billion in 2023, roughly 4% of its GDP, which pay for food and schools, and it has fewer unemployed people. But it loses young workers, so some villages in places such as Zacatecas are left with older people and children. The USA gains workers for farms, construction and services and more cultural diversity, but there are costs for services in some areas and a debate about wages and border security. Overall, migrants and their families gain most in income, but the costs fall on villages that lose young workers and on migrants who face danger or exploitation. The benefits to the USA are real, but opinion there is divided. Net migration has also fallen since about 2008, so some pressures have eased.
Top level (5-6 marks): positive and negative impacts on the migrants, Mexico and the USA, with specific facts and a clear judgement. Middle level (3-4): several impacts with some detail, but one-sided or no clear judgement. Lowest level (1-2): simple, undeveloped statements.
In a 6-mark named-example answer, cover all three groups (migrants, Mexico, USA), include both positives and negatives, use at least two specific facts (such as 2007, remittances, H-2A), and end with a judgement.