Selection, Context, or Both? The English Fluency of Mexican Immigrants in the American Midwest and Southwest

This project identified significant variations in the individual destination characteristics of Mexican immigrants to the Midwestern and Southwestern US using data from the Mexican Migration Project. English skill differ significantly between migrants to the two regions. Analyses indicate that selection effects account for important variations in the English skills of Mexican immigrants. Though the destinational context of Mexican immigration is associated with language acquisition, the effects are primarily indirect. The nature of the migrant stream and the migration experience are the key mechanisms in the relationship between destination and English skills.