Intimate Migrations: Gender, Family, and Illegality among Transnational Mexicans

by Deborah A. Boehm, Pem Davidson Buck

. Puts a human face on the reasons why people migrate A must read. Leo Chavez, University of California, Irvine . Explores the human side of immigration A moving panorama. Louise Lamphere, University of New Mexico . Recommended for all levels/libraries. CHOICE"

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Margarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, a really insightful analysis of how gender and age interact with the production of US state categories of illegality among people who move between Mexico and the United States, and specifically between Rancho San Marcos (a fictional name for a rancho in San Luis Potosi) and Albequerque, New Mexico. I really got a sense of how mobility is gendered and aged in really significant ways. Probably the most significant insight is the chapter about citizen aliens/alien citizens whereby children destabilize categories of citizenship. So, for example a child who is a US citizen by birth but is deported to Mexico with their undocumented parents - obviously being a citizen means you shouldn't be deported, and yet this shows a scary limit to citizenship. Or also a young person who was brought to the US as a baby, and grew up their whole life in the states, for all intents and purposes a de-facto citizen of the United States. However, they can also be deported to Mexico. Another limit to citizenship.

One thing I really didn't like is although the analysis of US state immigration categories is thorough, there is literally no mention at all of the Mexican state. Although there is no doubt the US state has a massive effect in these transnational lives, Mexican state policies do too. Surely the Mexican state also reaches across borders into the transnation. For example, by allowing dual citizenships. Or by encouraging people to remain connected to Mexico financially, and culturally. Consulates work across the United States to encourage cultural events, and there are government programs to help migrants invest in their home communities (for example the 3x1 program, or programs to encourage people to buy land and start businesses in Mexico with money earned in the US). Clearly there are huge implications of migration for the Mexican state, not least of which is the oft-cited % of GDP that comes from migration remittances. There are barriers though, too, such as for voting in elections in Mexico - you need to have an voter ID card, and as I understand it, you need to go to Mexico to get one. Not an easy thing to do for many undocumented people in the US, who then can't vote in federal elections from abroad. Anyway, my point is there are two sides to the border, and migrants interact with two states in their migratory moves, so the Mexican state shouldn't be left out entirely.

Anyway! I liked it! It's not too long, either, which I appreciate. 4 estrellas!

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

To live between borders, in a state that is neither here nor there, is one wrought with danger, prejudice, and hope for a better life. Mexican immigrants are treated unfairly regardless of which wealthier nation they choose to labor in; they will more often than not be preyed upon for their low-wage labor and the exploitation of the fact that they fear deportation or worse. This eye-opening, incredibly relevant ethnography follows a few families who migrate between Mexico (home) and the U.S. (work) and tells candid experiences of individuals who are proud to be who, and where, they are regardless of borders and boundaries.

[Mills College Library]

304.87307 B6712 2012