Immigration to Mexico

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Immigration to Mexico has been important in shaping the country's demographics. Since the early 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has received immigrants from Europe, Africa, the Americas (particularly the United States and Central America), and Asia. Today, millions of their descendants still live in Mexico and can be found working in different professions and industries.

During the colonial era, hundreds of thousands of enslaved people were taken to what would become Mexico. Primarily from West Africa and, to a lesser extent, Southeast Asia, these individuals were not voluntary immigrants. In the 20th century, Mexico also became a country of refuge, in particular by accepting individuals fleeing World War II in Europe, the Spanish Civil War, and the Guatemalan Civil War.

The Constitution also states: "Every man has the right to enter the Republic, leave it, travel through its territory and change residence, without the need for a security letter, passport, safe-conduct or other similar requirements. The exercise of this right will be subordinate to the powers of the judicial authority, in cases of criminal or civil liability, and those of the administrative authority, as regards the limitations imposed by the laws on emigration, immigration, and general health of the Republic, or on pernicious foreigners residing in the country." Both Articles 33 and 9 of the Constitution limit foreigners' meddling in the country's political affairs.

Article 33 empowers the executive to make someone leave the national territory immediately and without the need for a prior trial of any foreigner whose permanence it deems inconvenient. However, it grants foreigners the same guarantees as nationals and so they are protected by the provisions of Article 4; the equality of men and women. Also, Article 1 prohibits any discrimination based on ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disabilities, social status, health conditions, religion, opinions, preferences, civil status, or any other status that violates human dignity and aims to nullify or impair the rights and freedoms of people.

It is important to include that Article 133 indicates that international treaties signed by the president and ratified by the Senate will be the supreme law of the entire union. For this reason, it should be remembered that Mexico is part of various international treaties that protect different protective rights of migrants, such as the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights, which in its Article 22 establishes the rights of movement and residence and stipulates, among others, the right to freely leave any country, including one's own, may be restricted by-laws only to protect national security, public order, or security, public morals or health, or the rights and freedoms of others. Mexico is part of the United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers, which broadly stipulates their rights and the corpus juris for the protection of the rights of women and girls.

Immigration in Mexico has not had an overwhelming impact on the total population, compared to that of other countries, but there has been a considerable increase in the foreign population since Mexico was consolidated as an independent nation. Its geographical position and for social, economic, climatological, cultural, and transit reasons, foreigners have stayed throughout the territory. Historically, the country has not sought mass immigration, but it has been the focus of attraction for more selective immigration to which is added an old tradition of political asylum for religious or ideological persecution. That makes intellectuals, scientists, and artists who reside in Mexico come from other nations and contribute in various scientific and artistic fields.

The history of Mexican immigration to the United States is best characterized as the movement of unskilled, manual laborers pushed northward mostly by poverty and unemployment and pulled into American labor markets with higher wages. Historically, most Mexicans have been economic immigrants seeking to improve their lives. In moments of civil strife, such as the Mexican Revolution (1910–1917) and the Cristero Revolt (1926–1929)^[1]

According to the 2020 National Census, there are 1,212,252 foreign-born people registered with the government as living in Mexico.^[2] Around 70% of foreigners living in Mexico come from neighboring countries (the United States and Guatemala), other important communities come mainly from Spanish-speaking nations, of which the Venezuelan, Colombian, Honduran, Cuban, Spanish, Salvadorian, and Argentinian communities stand out. The rest of immigration comes from other non-Hispanic nations.