Public Policies on Migrant Matters: A Balance in México

This paper presents the way in which the subject of the under aged migrants in Mexico has been made part of the public agenda. This can be noted in three broad types of actions undertaken by the Mexican government since the 80s decade in the past century. In the first place, the legislative actions that were undertaken for this migrant population. Secondly, the assistance programmes are described that have been introduced to benefit them and finally the education policy directed to the migrant farm labourers is explained. There is disarticulation between the public policy of the State and the needs arising from poverty in migrant workers' families. The first disarticulation is found in social policy. According to government discourse, to combat extreme poverty and develop the capacities of individuals, it is suggested that families themselves can generate income to overcome their poverty, but the state takes a welfare approach because it provides resources to poor people, but without a background track to combat poverty. Another disarticulation is between the government's intention to accommodate migrants and bureaucratic obstacles that hinder the resources when they arrive. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]