미국의 이주정책과 멕시코의 국제노동이주의 형태

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the changing U.S. immigration policy on patterns of international labor migration from Mexico and on the local socioeconomic structures of the migrant-sending society. In the beginning, Mexican villagers have responded rather passively to the U.S. policy, but they currently are reacting actively to the new policy. Many households opt to send more migrants than before, and migrants who are already working in the U.S. want to stay there permanently. As more migrants avoid California in order to escape excessive patrols, instead choosing eastern and central areas for crossing the U.S.-Mexican border, the migrants are scattering far and wide in the U.S. In addition, several families absent themselves entirely from the village, upon deciding to migrate to the U.S. All told, the impact of U.S. policy on the patterns of migration from Mexico is less serious than expected because of the flexible and dynamic migration strategies of Mexican households, as confirmed by the increasing number of migrants from Mexico following the implementation of the repressive U.S. policies. Hence, recent U.S. policies fail to control migration from Mexico, but they bring about significant changes in Mexican communities. The weakening social ties between the migrants and the migrant-sending community have resulted in socioeconomic difficulties in the village. Decreasing remittances have caused severe damage to the local economy, which leads to the economic downturn and the decline of the economically active population in the village. The weakening network between migrants and their community does not contribute much for the local sociocultural activities. Some families are completely disintegrated after the severance of relations by some migrant family members. Also the migrants are less influential in community affairs than previously. In conclusion, the rapid changes in the patterns of migration have incurred irreversible negative impacts on the migrant-sending society.