Last Stop: Imaginaries and Sources of Information of Central American Migrants

Abstract

The topic of migration in Mexico gained relevancy since there has been a significant increase of Central American migrants traveling through the country towards the United States, to achieve the American dream. This article identifies the imaginaries and sources of information of migrants regarding their transit and final destination. Sixty people were interviewed in a migrant shelter of the city of Monterrey with participants from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The conclusions show romanticized imaginaries, founded primarily on interpersonal sources (other migrants and acquaintances who have done the trip) and media sources (television, cinema, Internet, and journalism). From a sociological and information science perspective, this case study reviews the idea of imaginaries as a fundamental part in the decision making of migrants who risk their lives in order to reach target destinations.