The Role of the Mexican Consulate Network in Assisting Migrant Labor Claims across the U.S.-Mexico Migratory System

Abstract

We investigate the role of the Mexican government in assisting migrant workers in the labor claims-making process across three consular jurisdictions in the United States. Our analysis of administrative documents finds that consular support varies in relation to the local context within which consulates operate and depends on the circumstances of labor issues. We argue that binational claims, which involve migrants that have returned to Mexico, emerge in local economies characterized by cyclical migration of temporary workers and necessitate particular forms of consular support. This study reveals the diverse ways consulates assist workers and offers insight on how local contexts shape consular support.

Scaling Migrant Worker Rights

“…The Mexican consulate's Departamento de Protección is the key entity for deploying labor rights resources and outreach (often in conjunction with the Departamento de Asuntos Comunitarios). Drawing on data from three consulates (El Paso, Raleigh, and San Francisco), Martínez-Schuldt, Hagan, and Weissman (2021) found that consulates help workers throughout the labor claims process, provide a wide range of services (from general information to legal referrals to inhouse counsel), help broker interactions with various actors (including between migrants, with lawyers, and with other Mexican institutions), and can even be resources in the wake of an unsuccessful claim.…”