At the Crossroads: Mexico and U.S. Immigration Policy(Culture)

Mexico is becoming increasingly important as a focus of U.S. immigration policy, and the movement of people across the U.S.-Mexico border is a subject of intense interest and controversy. The U.S. approach to cross-border flows is in flux, the economic climate in Mexico is uncertain, and relations between the two neighbors have entered a new stage with the launching of NAFTA. This volume draws together original essays by distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplines and both sides of the border to examine current impetuses to migration and policy options for Mexico and the U.S.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Mexico and U.S. Worldwide Immigration Policy Chapter 3 Mexican Social and Economic Policy and Emigration Chapter 4 Do Mexican Agricultural Policies Stimulate Emigration? Chapter 5 Mexican Immigration and the U.S. Population Chapter 6 Fiscal Impacts of Mexican Migration to the United States Chapter 7 Labor Market Implications of Mexican Migration: Economies of Scale/ Innovation/ and Entrepreneurship Chapter 8 Policy, Politics, and Emigration: Reexamining the Mexican Experience Chapter 9 U.S. Public Perceptions and Reactions to Mexican Migration Chapter 10 NAFTA and Mexican Immigration Chapter 11 U.S. Foreign Policy and Mexican Immigration Chapter 12 Conclusion

About the Author :
Frank D. Bean is professor of sociology and public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Rodolfo O. de la Garza is Mike Hogg Professor of Community Affairs in the department of government and vice president of The Tomàs Rivera Center. Bryan R. Roberts is professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. Sidney Weintraub is professor of public policy at the University of Texas at Austin.

Review :
An original and timely book on the subject of Mexican migration to the United States. This comprehensive volume includes rich historical background and studies on a broad range of important contemporary issues. Many of the essays will prove valuable to scholars with an interest in the characteristics and impact of Mexican immigration, and to policy makers willing to base their decisions on fact rather than fiction. . . . At the Crossroads is a welcome addition to the literature on this timely and increasingly critical issue. This thoughtful comprehensive book . . . reads smoothly with clear and deliberate analyses of history, policy, data and a smattering of case studies. The volumes detects not only social phenomena but also different platforms from which investigations are launched on both sides of the border. One of this work's virtues is precisely that of making evident the necessity and urgency of defining problems and articulating solutions that involve both countries at different levels, taht is, conceiving and integrating, in an efficient bilateral dynamic, issues so dissimilar yet so related as foreign policy, migration, trade and economic development, social services, and border relations, without forgetting the needs that arise from an unavoidable agenda of bilateral research. In ten essays, the authors have carefully examined pressing US/Mexican migration polices, concerns, and plausible solutions. The authors of At the Crossroads are among the most authoritative, thoughtful, and enduring voices in the field of immigration research. Their collaboration represents a major achievement, bringing together the expertise of Mexican and U.S. scholars. I am certain this book will become a standard reference in academic and policy circles.