How did we get here?
A History of Migration Patterns in the U.S.
In order to discuss the subject of immigration in relation to the United States of America, we must first acknowledge that the U.S. was unfairly created by European immigrant colonizers. Our founding fathers were not native to this land, alike the many individuals who make the journey to the United States in search of the American dream. Since its foundation, immigration goes hand in hand with the development of the U.S. nation and its policies. It is therefore not at all surprising that as the country continues to shift in dynamic ways, the complexity of migration and immigration patterns also shift accordingly.
This article will explore the history of immigration patterns in the United States. It will mainly focus on Latin American migration from the late 20th century to the present day. As we observe changes in immigration patterns, we will also explore the interconnected influencing factors that drive people’s decisions to leave their homeland and endure a dangerous migration journey. I would also like to add a disclaimer that neither this article or any type of research can accurately represent the experiences of all individuals, as everyone’s circumstances are distinct and cannot be summed up in generalized patterns.
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PART ONE: Our Starting Point
To begin we will provide a rough overview of the large scale immigration that has occurred since the start of the nation. The first “immigration pattern” is the forced displacement of African individuals enslaved in the U.S. which occurred roughly until the 1600’s. Years later, from about 1760 to 1840, the industrial revolution attracted European migrants over to the United States to fill numerous employment opportunities (Business Insider, 2016). During 1849 the Gold Rush drove another wave of migration into the U.S. and in 1850 there were high rates of Chinese individuals immigrating. Around this same time, from 1845 to 1850 the great famine brought many Irish migrants to the United States (History.com Editors, 2018). These migration waves are more easily understood as clear cut patterns since they are mainly related to major historic time points and events. However, this will not be the case for the patterns that follow. In the next half of the decade U.S. intervention in Latin American countries, among other factors, will cause a surge of displacement and complex immigration patterns.
The first wave of Mexican migration was seen around 1908 to 1910. It is attributed to economic restructuring and U.S. involvement in Mexico’s economic development policies (Bedolla, 2009). The Mexican revolution, which lasted from 1910 to 1924, also led to significant amounts of immigrants fleeing violence from their home country into the United States. In the years following the revolution the United States created labor contracts with Mexican workers. These contracts allowed Mexican residents to cross into the U.S. and work for a certain period of time. They often provided housing and meals in exchange for cheap labor. One example of this is the Bracero program which lasted from 1942 to 1964 (Bracero Archive, 2021). These programs mark an evident start of a specific immigration narrative. One that defined immigration as an individual experience. The narrative consists of one person, perceived as the breadwinner, migrating in order to provide for their families back home.
In other Latin American countries, like Cuba, political unrest and economic collapses also influenced migration to the United States during these same years. The Cuban revolution of 1959 led a surge of migration into the United States. This pattern is seen throughout much of Latin American history. U.S. military intervention in Latin American countries leads to unrest of their political systems along with economic instability due to exploitation of infrastructure, exploitation of resources and company investments (Bedolla, 2009). These grave conditions create revolutions. Revolutions result in individuals fleeing the conditions of their home countries and migrating into the United States. For Central American countries, immigration rates began to arise during this same time following this pattern.
"This economic role lay at the heart of the U.S. intervention in Guatemala in 1954, which resulted in the establishment of a brutal military dictatorship. The United States also supported a similarly brutal regime in El Salvador. The extreme inequality that characterized both country’s economies, and the lack of any possibility for political dissent, led to the development of strong guerrilla movements in both places. The result was civil war and extreme violence, leading to massive social dislocation and the beginning of large-scale Guatemalan and Salvadoran migration to the United States."
UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies Review Article (Bedolla, 2009)
PART TWO: The In Between
Although some migrants were fleeing violence and starting a new life in America, this was not necessarily the case for everyone. Over the following decades the dominant narrative of a single breadwinner migrating was still true for many, especially Mexican communities. Circular migration prevailed from the late 70’s up until the mid 80’s. This means people crossed back and forth, only coming to work seasonally in the United States but always returning home to their families. However, in 1986 the Immigration and Control Act militarized the border and began to make the simple
back and forth process difficult and dangerous for migrants (Revisionist History, 2019). In the following years more enforcement and security at the border continued to increase the difficulty and risk of migration journeys. These effects caused individuals to think twice about making the initial cross into the U.S. but also about whether or not they should cross back to their home country.
In 1993 Operation Blockade increased security at the El Paso Texas border, in 1994 Operation Gatekeeper increased security at the San Diego border, and in 2003 ICE was established (Revisionist History, 2019). These policy implementations made it too risky for individuals to migrate to the United States as seasonal workers. However, at the end of the day the same conditions that caused these workers to migrate for a season were still existent. Without the option to cross back into the U.S. it was almost inevitably
Hear Anita's Story
This testimony is included in the Journal of Latin American Geography under a section titled: Slow violence of poverty leading to economic and physical insecurity and migration.
“Anita is a 41 -year-old woman traveling alone from the town of San Vincente, El Salvador. For fifteen years she was with an abusive husband who then threw her out on the streets, leaving her and her five children without money or a place to live: I didn't want to live. I wanted to die. I had no man, no money, no home. To see your children without anything is nothing any mother should experience. I risk everything because I have lost everything. Without my children, I have nothing (Interview with Anita, 23 July 2014).” (Shmidt, Buechler, 2017)
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that individuals began to settle down in the US (Revisionist History, 2019). For this pattern of migration, it was often young males who remained in the United States, working to send money back to their families. The dominant narrative during these years was that the immigrant would eventually return back home or raise enough money to one day bring their entire family to the states.
The United States was not the only one creating new policies during these years that influenced migration. Latin American countries were also experiencing changes to their governments and economies. Most importantly the rates of violence were ever growing. Organized crime and gang violence gravely affected the poorer communities of these countries, redefining the choice of migration a matter of life or death (Shmidt, Buechler, 2017). This led to a new pattern of migration, which included a different dynamic for the individuals who were making the journey.
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The first documented wave of migration of women and children was in 2014. It was predominantly individuals from Central America, many who were minors between the ages of 5 and 17 (Shmidt, Buechler, 2017) . During the Spring and Summer of 2014 immigrants arriving at the US borders were primarily from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras (Menjivar, Perriera, 2017). To give you a sense of how this trend of minors expanded: in 2012 there were 24,403 apprehensions of minors at the US southwest border, 38,759 in 2013, and 68,541 in 2014 ((Menjivar, Perriera, 2017) . However, it is important to note that some of these minors are not necessarily considered dependent minors in their home countries. Rather they are fleeing violence directly targeted at them or they are the eldest and therefore responsible for their siblings. Therefore they decide to make the journey in hopes of better opportunities. The media often portray them as unaccompanied minors, but they do not live accompanied by anyone. Many of these minors are already independent because they have had to grow up early in response to their circumstances.
PART THREE: Present
In 2018 the focus of U.S. immigration was centered around the migrant caravan. Entire families were making the long journey from Central America and turning themselves into border patrol at the U.S. border (Astles). They hoped that whatever followed detention would ultimately be better than the current conditions in their home country. Migration of minors persists present day, with 5,700 minors reported at the border during January of 2021 (Foster-Frau, 2021). In summary, present day migration patterns mainly consist of Central American families, minors, and Haitian immigrants.
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