«Del sueño a la pesadilla americana. Inmigraciónmexicana en Estados Unidos» [From the AmericanDream to the American Nightmare. Mexican Immigrationin the United States] by Ismael García Castro

Review

Abstract

In his work «Del sueño a la pesadilla americana. Inmigración mexicana en Estados Unidos» [From the American Dream to the American Nightmare. Mexican Immigration in the United States], Ismael García Castro examines the complex situation of migrant communities and ethnic minorities, as well as their prospects. Using a historical and hermeneutical approach, it analyzes the political discourses and contexts in which migration policies have been formulated and executed in the United States, with special attention to those that affect communities of Mexican origin. Through a critical lens, the author examines the historical, social, and political impacts of the xenophobic, utilitarian, pragmatic, and dehumanized migration policies implemented by that nation throughout its history. García Castro reviews the key events, laws, and discourses that have justified the exclusion and exploitation of Mexican migrant labor, revealing how the immigration system has operated as a mechanism of social and economic control. Based on the reading of this work, the hypothesis is proposed regarding the historical formation of an industry of undocumentedness, supported by: 1) the construction of a false enemy and 2) the myth of migrant invasion, along with the defense of identity and the border as a symbolic instrument, which constitute the main «products» of this industry.