The Roles of Leaders, Community and Religious Organizations, Consular Relationships, and Student Groups in the Emerging Leadership of Mexican Immigrants in New England

Abstract

Abstract Although Mexican immigrants constitute the majority of the Latino population in the United States, in New England they are a growing minority contributing to the economic, social, and cultural development of the area. Using in-depth interviews of leaders of Mexican organizations in New England, and anecdotal, historical, and Internet data, this qualitative study analyzed how Mexican national immigrants have been organizing in New England since the late 1980 s through community, religious, and student-run organizations as well as through the support of the General Consulate of Mexico to create an emerging leadership. Tracing the development of the organizations and their identified needs and activities, the study highlights how these organizations have contributed to the emergence of a Mexican leadership with transnational and political implications in the present.