Migration Field Research Program
Cutting-edge community action research by students at UCSD
Our Work
Community action research at the US-Mexico border
We work hand-in-hand with immigration advocacy partners to design and carry out original, applied research in the San Diego-Tijuana border region.
Our current focus (since 2024) is on immigrant labor in the energy transition in Imperial County, California.
Recent partners include: Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab, Espacio Migrante, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition and Comité Cívico del Valle.
The Program
Training the next generation of immigration leaders
95% of our students are first-generation Latinx college students.
Students apply in a competitive process and spend a year on the research team. They learn to conduct rigorous, team-based, and trauma-informed fieldwork. They gather original data, analyze it, and then report back to partners and lawmakers. Together, we:
- Produce cutting-edge research on migration and forced displacement, using binational, collaborative fieldwork
- Train the next generation of US immigration leaders, giving them expertise on international migration and skills in data collection and analysis.
- Disseminate findings through scholarly publications, web reports and briefings for public officials and the media
Get Involved
Apply
Current UCSD graduate and undergraduate students can apply to join our year-long program and become part of an international network of immigration change-makers.
Donate
Contributions to OUR PARTNERS support the immediate human rights of asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border
Contributions to THE MMFRP help train low-income Latinx students as leaders in immigration and produce cutting-edge research on pressing issues in immigration.
Contact Us
Message us for more information about our program or possible collaboration.
Mexican Migration Field Research Program 