Patterns of U.S. Migration from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America

Résumé 0

"Data from the Latin American Migration Project (LAMP) and the Mexican MigrationProject (MMP) is combined to analyze migration patterns for Mexico, Puerto Rico, theDominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Drawing on samples of 31 communities,we document the frequency and timing of migration, the date, duration,destination, and documentation of the first and the most recent U.S. trips, theemployment characteristics of migrants on those trips, and migrants’ socioeconomiccharacteristics and selectivity. Results show that a significant share of the migration isunauthorized. The distinctive features separating Mexican migration from otherflows are its concentration in farm labor, lack of educational selectivity, more frequenttrips, and shorter durations of stay. All groups are showing a pronounced tendencyto settle away from traditional destination areas. The analysis suggests a commonalityof basic patterns and processes of migration structured and expressed in distinct waysaccording to context. This analysis shows that data from the LAMP and the MMP can becombined effectively to undertake comparative quantitative studies"