Victor Zuniga and Rubén Hernandez-Leon (eds): New Destinations: Mexican Immigration in the United States

Abstract

‘‘New Destinations’’ is a series of studies of Mexican immigration to the United States over the past 20 years that explores the effect of immigration on both the immigrants and the communities to which they migrated. The text is presented as an introduction and three parts of distinct case studies. The Introduction summarizes the history of immigration from Mexico to the United States, focusing on the Mexico/ US border and southwestern states where Mexicans initially settled. Part One is a series of studies regarding how and why Mexicans migrated to the new locations of Nebraska, North Carolina, and Louisiana. The authors do an excellent job of explaining the new immigrant community formation and how these new communities changed the local demography. Many of these destinations were small communities that were drastically altered by the increasing number of new migrants seeking work and a home. Traditionally, the mid-west, eastern, and southern US had not been primary immigrant settlement areas. The authors explain in each case, how economics drew immigrants to these new destinations. The authors outline the almost uniform trends as the immigrants settled in to their new communities: (1) economic need for a young working population to replace native workers in dangerous jobs such as meat packing and the poultry industry; (2) increase in Mexican businesses catering to this population; (3) varying levels of hostility to the new migrants; (4) increased economic and business activity in these destinations; and finally (5) rise of advocacy groups to support rights of the new workers. Five barriers faced by new immigrants: poor schools, language barriers, poor housing, unequal pay relative to their white co-workers and discrimination and hostility by local populations, are capably highlighted by the authors. The book makes the salient point that the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 provided the ground work for the migration to new destinations. IRCA permitted between two and three million Mexicans to legalize their status permanently in the US. Without fear of deportation, legalized individuals were free to seek work and better economic circumstances anywhere in the US. Consequently, Mexican immigrants left the southwest and migrated to new locations in the mid-west and southern US. Finally able to settle down, they could buy homes and become part of their new communities. The new migrants were not just single young males, but the families who followed them, creating the need for schools, housing, and other necessities. The authors contrast this with the preIRCA immigrants who were mainly undocumented or in the US on an H-2B visa. These temporary work visas left the workers at the mercy of employers who could terminate them at any time. Lacking security or a permanent source of income, the pre-IRCA immigrants could not settle in the communities they worked. As a result of IRCA, this all changed in the 1980s and 1990s. Three major factors, outlined by the authors, defined where Mexicans would now be able to assimilate and grow in new destinations: (1) government policies toward immigrants; (2) societal reception by the natives in the new community; and (3) existence of co-ethnic communities already present there. Comparing two towns, the authors note Morgan City, Louisiana where assimilation of the immigrant community was more effective than Houma, Louisiana due to community support and better living conditions. J. A. Vail (&) Immigration Clinic, University of Houston Law Center, 100 Law Center Room 56 TVII, Houston, TX 77204-6060, USA e-mail: jvail@uh.edu