Multi-ethnic, indigenous Mexican immigrants from Oaxaca, the poorest state in Mexico, have engaged in transnational migration to the United States in increasing numbers since the early 1980s and the economic crisis in Mexico. Indigenous women migrants constitute a significant segment of this population, significant to nursing because of their major role in watching over the health of their families. This article reports selected research findings of an exploratory study of the migration and health experiences of Mexican indigenous women from Oaxaca that focus on their strengths while recognizing their vulnerabilities for health problems. Implications for nursing practice and praxis are identified.

Global migration is occurring at an unprecedented rate. The phenomenon of migration is complex and poorly understood by most people in countries who host immigrants. People migrate for numerous reasons related to social, economic, political, cultural, and physical environmental conditions formed by historical antecedents. Migrating people, especially vulnerable women and children, are exposed to numerous health hazards, a situation calling for a response from nursing. To respond effectively nursing needs knowledge development of global migration and health that includes the precursors to migration in addition to the postmigration experience where nurses encounter immigrants. Ecofeminist perspectives allowing for reflection on historical determinants and interlocking socioeconomic, political, and environmental conditions are used as a prism to examine global migration and health.