Migrant Workers and Geographies of Risk: The Case of Mexican Men in New York City

Migration to the United States is one of the major risk factors for contracting HIV and other STIs for temporary Mexican migrant men. In the times of globalized economies and continuous migration the relationship between the migration experience and sexual risk as become an imperative area of examination to understand the transformation of sexual repertoires and gender ideologies. Mexicans are the largest and the fastest growing Latino ethnic minority in the United States and in New York City. The objectives of this study were: 1) To describe the sexual practices, sexual partnering and sexual risk behaviors among Mexican migrant men in New York City; 2) To explore men's reflections on: masculine identity, sexual decision-making, meanings of sexual practices and relationships, and, 4) To identify the social context, situational factors and local economies that shape the sexual lives of the men in the study. To achieve these objectives we have conducted 9 months of ethnographic observations, 10 life history interviews, 60 structured interviews with recent Mexican migrant men ages 15-55 years of age living in New York City, and secondary analysis of data collected on Mexican men in Atlanta. Our findings suggest that loneliness, type of jobs conducted in the United States and socialization contextual factors are key factors increasing men's sexual risk behaviors in New York City.