Why They Leave

There are many reasons which cause people to leave their home country and begin a new life in another. Some seek political asylum, some seek better jobs, and some are refugees fleeing war. Many times, Latin@ immigrants coming to the United States are characterized as a singular, homogenous group in pursuit of the American Dream.

Our current report aims to break some of those stereotypes by focusing not on the reasons people choose to immigrate, but on the reasons people choose to emigrate. Using four countries as case studies, we show some of the diverse historical events which led Latin@ immigrants to come to the United States.