Caught in the Current - (The David J. Weber the New Borderlands History) by Irvin Ibargüen

About the Book

"Migration between the United States and Mexico is often compared to the river that runs along the border: a 'flow' of immigrants, a 'flood' of documented and undocumented workers, a 'dam' that has broken. Scholars, journalists, and novelists often tell this story from a south-to-north perspective, emphasizing Mexican migration to the United States, and the American response to the influx of people crossing its borders. In Caught in the Current, Irvin Ibarguen offers a Mexico-centered history of migration in the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on Mexican periodicals and archival sources, he explores how the Mexican state sought to manage US-bound migration. Ibarguen examines Mexico's efforts to blunt migration's impact on its economy, social order, and reputation, at times even aiming to restrict the flow of migrants. As a transnational history, the book highlights how Mexico's policies to moderate out-migration were contested by both the United States and migrants themselves, dooming them to fail. Ultimately, Caught in the Current reveals how both countries manipulated the border to impose control over a phenomenon that quickly escaped legal and political boundaries"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Migration between the United States and Mexico is often compared to the river that runs along the border: a "flow" of immigrants, a "flood" of documented and undocumented workers, a "dam" that has broken. Scholars, journalists, and novelists often tell this story from a south-to-north perspective, emphasizing Mexican migration to the United States, and the American response to the influx of people crossing its borders.

In Caught in the Current, Irvin Ibargüen offers a Mexico-centered history of migration in the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on Mexican periodicals and archival sources, he explores how the Mexican state sought to manage US-bound migration. Ibargüen examines Mexico's efforts to blunt migration's impact on its economy, social order, and reputation, at times even aiming to restrict the flow of migrants. As a transnational history, the book highlights how Mexico's policies to moderate out-migration were contested by both the United States and migrants themselves, dooming them to fail. Ultimately, Caught in the Current reveals how both countries manipulated the border to impose control over a phenomenon that quickly escaped legal and political boundaries.

Review Quotes

"By viewing the world from the top down as well as the bottom up, Ibargüen demonstrates the urgency of transnational perspectives and changes our understanding of the Bracero Program forever." --Matt Garcia, author of Eli and the Octopus

"Ibargüen's groundbreaking work examines the deeper implications of Mexico's determined--yet ultimately futile--efforts to limit out-migration. It shows how these policies influenced national identity and the transnational struggle for sovereignty amid relentless migratory pressures."--Neil Foley, author of Mexicans in the Making of America

"Sheds a completely different light on today's immigration restrictionists, taking readers deep into Mexico's attempts to leverage the insatiable US demand for its workers." --Aviva Chomsky, author of Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal

"Through centering Mexico in the story of migration policies, Caught in the Current offers an original and much-needed perspective on the history of the US-Mexico border."--Miguel A. Levario, Texas Tech University

"With insight and urgency, Ibargüen charts the push and pull between state power and migrant resilience, exposing how Mexican and US officials prioritized power while migrants bore the consequences."--Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, editor of Construyendo el gran México: La emigración mexicana a Estados Unidos

About the Author

Irvin Ibargüen is assistant professor of history at New York University. He obtained his PhD from Harvard University.