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In this paper, we examine the heuristic utility of Weber's notion of meaning to explain the perception of immigrants in the United States, particularly undocumented immigrants. The methodological rule implying that the understanding of the meaning of such perceptions can only be achieved through the notion of structure and the theory of socialization, as presented by Jorge Bustamante, is contested. We argue that with the notion of meaning comes into play the conception of an individual motivated by subjective reasons when perceiving immigrants as X or Y, and that those reasons, far from being justifications, have a real, objective basis. We advance a comprehensive framework of law SB 1070 to attempt to elucidate some of the reasons that motivate involved actors' approval or disapproval of this law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tamaulipas presents a long tradition of rural migration to the United States in search of farm employment. Until the eighties, Tamaulipas' undocumented workers crossed the border easily. However, starting in the nineties, as a result of a restrictive migration policy centered exclusively on the "supply-side", crossing the border has become difficult. As a result, most immigrants are using the services of "smugglers". This paper analyses the impact of the militarization of the frontier on the emigration of Tamaulipas' illegal rural workers seeking farm jobs in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]