Migration Strategies in Urban Contexts: Labor Migration from Mexico City to the United States

Résumé 0

The progressive urbanization of Mexican society is a process strongly associated with the increasing participation of the urban-origin population in the migratory flow to the United States. The "urbanization" of this international labor flow has changed the profile of Mexican migration to the United States. This article examines the social dynamics of international migration in urban contexts, particularly in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Based on a migration systems perspective, the article explores the way that international migration operates in Mexico city and the different migration strategies pursued by migrants from this city. The article analyses demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individuals in the Mexico city survey (conducted by the author) as well as their patterns of internal and international migration, and the general characteristics of their U.S. migration experience. Finally, it presents some biographical sketches to illustrate the various patterns of migration from Mexico city.