Mexican Immigrant Binantional Political Involvement

RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES
Spring Quarter 2007

WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR BINATIONAL POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT AMONG MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS TO THE U.S.?

Presenters:

JAMES McCANN 
Professor of Political Science, Purdue University

DAVID LEAL
Associate Professor of Government, University of Texas-Austin

WAYNE CORNELIUS
Gildred Professor of U.S.-Mexican Relations and Director,
Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, UCSD

Tuesday, April 24, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Eleanor Roosevelt College Administration Building
Conference Room 115, First Floor
Reception to follow

One of the most remarkable features of immigrant populations in the United States today is the potential for political incorporation in both sending and receiving countries.  Advancements in transportation and communication allow immigrants to be almost literally in two places at the same time.  What factors prompt immigrants to become involved in the politics of the “ old ” country?  We consider this question by focusing on Mexican nationals who have settled across the United States, many of whom were for the first time eligible to take part in Mexico ’ s historic presidential elections in 2006 via absentee ballot.  We present findings from the 2006 Mexican Expatriate Study, a large-scale survey of Mexican immigrants in three very different regions of the country: Dallas, Texas; San Diego County; and north-central Indiana. 

Our analysis shows that in the 2006 Mexican presidential election, candidate preferences among U.S.-based Mexicans were strikingly similar to those of Mexicans living in Mexico. In addition, there was an ample reservoir of informal civic engagement in the 2006 election, despite a legal prohibition on campaigning by the presidential candidates and their parties within the United States. While many Mexican nationals living in the United States appear to be little interested in civic affairs in Mexico, a sizeable number appear ready, willing, and able to become transnational political participants – if more user-friendly mechanisms can be devised to facilitate their involvement. The project tests the hypothesis that political involvement is cumulative rather than zero-sum, i.e., that migrants who are cognitively and behaviorally involved in sending-country politics are more likely to be involved in the political process of the receiving country, and vice versa.

bh