School Integration of Recent Mexican Returnees From the United States in a Border Context

Eunice Vargas Valle , El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

Since 2008, approximately half-million children arrived in Mexico from the US, mainly US-born. However, due to limited data, quantitative studies about their school integration are scarce. The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between their interest in school and their bi-national school trajectories in a border city with very high return migration. This study uses data from the Migration and School Integration Survey 2017, a survey conducted in 86 junior high schools at the Tijuana Metropolitan area. The results -based on multivariate statistical analyses- show that immigrants from the U.S. exhibit a lower interest in school, which is a function of more years of schooling achieved in this country and less years since the arrival in Mexico. Furthermore, we identify as mediating mechanisms: family separation, limited proficiency in Spanish, the indifference of teachers and the lack of cultural identification with Mexico. Public policy implications are discussed.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 84. Wellbeing of Mexican-Origin Children on Both Sides of the U.S./Mexico Border