Author and professor Frans J. Schryer said the migrant experience has changed during the past two decades and it has affected the immigration reform during a lecture Tuesday at the Memorial Union.

Schryer, author of “They Never Come Back: A Story of Undocumented Workers from Mexico,” traced the personal lives and careers of indigenous men and women on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. His current research consists of ethnographic work in the Alto Balsas region of Guerrero, Mexico and the impact of globalization on the indigenous (Nahua) region.

“When I was 19 years old I went to Mexico for research and found myself going back and forth,” Schryer said.

When Schryer was doing research in Guerrero, he noticed a multitude of large, abandoned houses. He discovered the houses belonged to Mexican workers in the United States who sent money to build their homes.

“What was unexpected for me was there were a lot of houses no one lived in,” Schryer said.

Schryer said Mexico had a craft boom in the 1990s, allowing indigenous “Artesanos” to sell crafts to tourists. 

Selling artwork created an economic alternative to agricultural labor. Before the “art boom,” most migrants were forced to travel to other parts of Mexico to make ends meet. Others opted to work in the United States, able to return to Mexico on a regular basis.

He shared before and after pictures of Alto Balsas region with the audience on how the structure to build houses changed. Before, animals were used as transportation. They were now using vehicles and every village had a school.

The boom would soon come to an end, Schryer explained. Tourism decreased after 9/11 for Mexico.

“Especially nowadays with the drug lords,” Schryer said.

The indigenous people found an alternative — find work in the United States.

“People continue going no matter how dangerous,” Schryer said.

International migration to the U.S. meant a new standard of living and it meant no one wanted to become a nurse or a teacher in Mexico because of low pay. Workers knew if they could make more money in the U.S.

Schryer said most immigrant workers did not have a stereotypical job and both men and women worked. The money they earned was sent back to Mexico to build their homes.

“Not the stereotypical strawberry picker,” Schryer said.

Schryer said the U.S. government needs to give more work permits to immigrants. He said the cost for immigrants to come to the United States can be prohibitive. A Guatemalan immigrant will spend about $7,000 to get to the U.S., and $4,000 for someone coming from Mexico.

Victor Aguilar, senior in chemical engineering, said the lecture was a eye-opening experience.

“It was informative in a way, you’ve seen that personally you know, and at the same time you get a perspective that is not your own,” Aguilar said. “So it was a good thing that you have someone not from the same background looking into this and analyzing what people that you might be related to have gone through.” 

Shannon Writt, junior in biology, said she found the lecture interesting.

“I thought it was good. I liked the history aspect of it like back in the day. I don’t remember that because I’m only 20 years old,” Writt said. “Like, back in the day when you could go back and forth between the border and it wasn’t an issue and Mexico has this booming economy and how he related the United States with 9/11 into it and how we affected Mexico.”