This project documents the ways in which Latin American immigrants are engaging civically and politically in diverse communities of settlement in the United States. The project includes case studies of nine U.S. cities; some with longer histories of immigration, others more recent sites of long-term settlement.
The Mexico Institute has several research paper series looking at civic engagement and political participation of Latino immigrants in the United States:
Context MattersThe project seeks to document the ways in which Latino and Latin American immigrants are expressing themselves politically and civically in new communities of settlement in the United States and as transnational actors. The significant influence of Latino voters in the 2008 elections reinforces a need to better analyze the evolving phenomenon of immigrant integration, particularly in regions of the country that are historically unaccustomed to assimilating recent Latino populations. This project consists of a national report along with nine city reports: Charlotte, NC; Washington, DC; San Jose, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Omaha, NE; Tucson, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Fresno, CA; and Chicago, IL. All publications are available in English and Spanish.To view discussions from the conference on "Latino Immigrant Civic Engagement Trends,'' click
here.
Invisible No MoreThis report explores the various ways that Mexican migrants to the United States are becoming civically and politically active in both countries. This collection of brief essays looks at how recent migrants interact with traditional Latino organizations, the labor movement, religious communities, the media, and both the U.S. and Mexican political systems, transforming each through their engagement. This publication is the result of a conference held on November 4–5, 2005 at the Woodrow Wilson Center, co-sponsored by the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The conference brought together migrant leaders, scholars, and representatives of civic, labor, and religious organizations. Jonathan Fox, Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, and Xóchitl Bada organized this conference, with support from Andrew Selee and Kate Brick at the Wilson Center.
Additional Research PapersThese papers complement the investigations in the "Context Matters" and "Invisible No More" series.
