The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Behind the Smoke and Mirrors of U.S. Immigration Policy: Research from the Mexican Migration Project

For more than three decades, the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) has annually compiled data on Mexico–U.S. migration, and the resulting database has supported important analyses on the efficacy of U.S. immigration policy related to Mexico. Unfortunately, United States policy-makers have largely ignored these studies, instead creating, perpetuating, and acting upon misunderstandings of Mexican immigration.

This volume of The ANNALS draws on official statistics and MMP data to address the gap between public perceptions of U.S.–Mexico migration and the ramifications of these perceptions for U.S. policy. Framing Mexican migration to the United States as a social and economic process, this volume endeavors to dispel the many myths and misperceptions surrounding Mexican immigrants to the United States and offers insight to better inform immigration policymaking moving forward.