The Relationship between the Migratory Experience in the United States and Criminal Activity in Mexico: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Crime in Mexico is seen as the result of complex social processes in which migration -especially return migration- carries greater weight than it has traditionally been assigned. The dynamics of organized crime in the case of Michoacan, Mexico and, other parts of the country, have been significantly influenced by the migratory experience of criminal leaders in the USA, including the formation of social networks, the construction of transnational criminal nuclei, the visualization of market opportunities, the knowledge of the basic operation of justice and law enforcement systems in the United States, and understanding of the logistics of transporting goods to that country. This paper analyzes the migratory experience in the United States as a substantial social learning process of the formation of numerous criminal leaders in Mexico.