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The Effect of Religion on Latin American Migration to the United States
Hill, Jeffrey
Hill, Jeffrey
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Abstract
This paper explores the effects of religion on Latin American migration to the United States. It updates the existing literature on the effect of religion on the six stages of migration (decision, preparation, journey, arrival, settlement, and transnational linkages) by integrating field research with existing case studies to illuminate the ways in which religion plays an important part in each stage. It argues that deportation should be considered as the seventh stage of migration because of its ubiquity and the unique challenges it presents to migrants. It explores the effect of both institutional religion and personal faith on the migrant being pushed through the deportation process. The paper employs the use of qualitative interviews and a case study of the Casa del Migrante Scalabriniana in Tijuana, Mexico to explore the effects of religion on each stage of migration. While the study does not argue that religion is a part of every migrant's journey, it does provide evidence that religion is an important resource throughout the stages of migration, even to those who do not consider themselves to be religious. Finally, it invites more research be done to explore the effects of religion on the newly proposed deportation stage of migration throughout Mexico and Latin America as a whole.
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Date
2015-05-31
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Publisher
University of Kansas
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Keywords
Latin American studies, Religion, American studies, Deportation, Latin America, Mexico, Migration, United States