They Never Come Back: A Story of Undocumented Workers from Mexico
They Never Come Back: A Story of Undocumented Workers from Mexico
Cite
Abstract
For Mexicans on both sides of the border, the migrant experience has changed significantly over the past two decades. This book draws on the experiences of indigenous people from a region in the Mexican state of Guerrero to explore the impact of this transformation on the lives of migrants. When handicraft production was able to provide a viable alternative to agricultural labor, most migrants would travel to other parts of Mexico to sell their wares. Others opted to work for wages in the United States, returning to Mexico on a regular basis. This is no longer the case. At first almost everyone, including former craft vendors, headed north; however it also became more difficult to go back home and then re-enter the United States. One migrant laments, “Before I was an artisan and free to travel all over Mexico to sell my crafts. Here we are all locked in a box and cannot get out.” NAFTA, migrant labor legislation, and more stringent border controls have all affected migrants' home communities, their relations with employers, their livelihoods, and their identity and customs. The book traces the personal lives and careers of indigenous men and women on both sides of the border. It finds that the most pressing issue facing undocumented workers is not that they are unable to earn enough money but, rather, that they are living in a state of ongoing uncertainty and will never be able to achieve their full potential. Through these stories, the book offers a nuanced understanding of the predicaments undocumented workers face and the importance of the ongoing debate around immigration policy.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction
-
1
What Happened to the Mexican Miracle?
- 2 “Struggling to Get Ahead”
- 3 “No One Lives There”
- 4 “I Feel Sorry for Them”
- 5 “It Used to Be Easy to Cross the Border”
- 6 “In the United States All You Do Is Work”
- 7 “For Me It Is about the Same”
- 8 “Mexicans Are Good Workers”
- 9 “We Can Never Hang Out with Our Friends”
- 10 “They Only Send You Back if You Are Bad”
- 11 “We Must Carry On Our Ancestors’ Traditions”
-
12
“I Don’t Have Much in Common with My Cousin”
-
13
The System Is Broken
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 3 |
May 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.