The New Geography of Emigration: Emerging Zones of Attraction and Expulsion, Continuity and Change

In this paper, we concentrate on certain trends in Mexican economy and society that are shaping the geography of emigration, are creating new zones of expulsion and are beginning to alter the characteristics of emigrants. Among these trends are the radical restructuring of Mexican agriculture, the reshaping of the urban system through the decline of primacy, the increase in inter-urban internal migration and the relative job stagnation of the Mexican urban economies. An equally important part of the story of emerging zones of attraction and expulsion are the changes in US labor markets, urbanization patterns and migration policies. Labor market and urbanization changes in the US, as in the relocation of food processing industries or the new growth cities and suburbs of the South and South-West, create a demand for unskilled service, construction and industrial labor in zones that had previously not received Mexican migrants. US migration policies, particularly strict enforcement of border control, raise the costs of crossing for undocumented migrants and deter those within the United States from returning home.