New Evidence On Destination Decisions of Unauthorized Mexican Migrants: Does Social Capital Still Matter?

New Evidence On Destination Decisions of Unauthorized Mexican Migrants: Does Social Capital Still Matter? Public Deposited

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Creator

Martinez-Schuldt, Ricardo
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology

Abstract

The geography of Mexican migration has changed significantly in the past several decades. Scholarly explanations for this dispersal focus primarily on changing immigration policy, the restructuring of the U.S. and Mexican economies, and the linking of social networks between places of origin and destination. Drawing on a new dataset on unauthorized Mexican migration (The Migrant Border Crossing Study), this paper assesses the role of individual-level characteristics including human capital, social ties, and occupational experience in unauthorized migrant destination decisions. Results suggest human capital and occupational experience are not associated with destination decisions. In contrast, social ties in the United States hold significant associations with unauthorized migrant destinations. In particular, the legal status of social network members in the United States explains variations in destination choice. These findings suggest that studies of migrant destination choices should also consider the social capital provided to newcomers through mature or more established network structures.

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