Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

11-2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Government

Reader 1

John J. Pitney, Jr.

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Abstract

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994 to liberalize trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It was promoted as an opportunity for economic growth for all three countries. However, its implementation produced uneven outcomes. This thesis focuses specifically on NAFTA’s impacts on Mexico and the increase in migration from Mexico to the U.S. post-NAFTA. This thesis examines how NAFTA influenced migration patterns, focusing on its impact on two of Mexico’s most prominent industries: agriculture and manufacturing. The first section of this thesis analyzes how trade liberalization impacted the agricultural economy and small-scale farmers. The second section examines the expansion of maquiladoras to analyze whether or not they created alternative options to migration or contributed to the increased migration. Drawing on existing literature, data, and testimonies, this thesis argues that NAFTA failed to provide the economic stability that was initially expected from NAFTA. Instead, increased competition, falling wages, and poor working conditions left many Mexican workers, especially rural farmers, unable to support themselves and their families, making migrating to the United States one of their only options. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that while multiple factors influence migration, the economic shifts and vulnerabilities intensified by NAFTA were contributors to the increased migration from Mexico to the U.S. among workers in the agricultural and manufacturing sector during post-NAFTA years.

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