Does the Wave Change? Reinvestigating Mexican Migration in the 1990s

B. Lindsay Lowell, University of Southern California

This paper investigates an unsettled empirical debate over whether the characteristics of Mexican migrants have changed over the last decade. Theoretical reasons and prosaic shifts in immigration policy suggest a shift toward women migrants and greater U.S. settlement; and away from traditional migrants and sending areas in Mexico. We combine 1997 U.S. (CPS) and Mexican (ENADID) data to control for place selectivity and to update the empirical evidence. We introduce an event history analysis to reveal shifts that might be otherwise hidden due to concomitant changes in the very demographic characteristics we are interested in. The findings suggest statistically significant changes in recent years. We discuss the ramifications for U.S. and bilateral immigration and guest worker policies.