September, October and November 2013 Academic & Specialist Sociology

The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration David Bacon

While eleven percent of the population of Mexico lives north of the US border, the decision to migrate is rarely voluntary.  Free trade agreements and economic policies which exacerbate and reinforce wealth disparity make it impossible for people to live in their homelands.  And yet when they migrate to the US they must grapple with criminalization, low wages, and exploitation.  Bacon reveals how immigrant communities are resisting forced migration and human rights violations abroad.  They envision a world in which migration isn't forced by poverty or environmental destruction - instead they are guaranteed the "right to stay home".