‘In this country, you suffer a lot’: Undocumented Mexican immigrant experiences

Abstract

Facing poverty and an inability to support their families through work on small farms or in waged labor, Mexican workers have crossed the border in large numbers seeking work in the US. This study explores the experiences of Mexican workers who immigrated without authorization to find work in a US suburban community in construction and the service industry. Ethnographic fieldwork and semi-structured interviews reveal the relationship of macro-level policy choices in compelling impoverished, marginalized people to immigrate despite the real dangers of crossing the Mexican/US border.