Incomplete Documentation, Isolation and Food Security among Central American Migrants in Mexico City

This paper examines some of the factors that contribute to food insecurity among the growing populations of Central American migrants who reside in Mexico City. It contributes to a growing body of literature that focuses on the relationship between migration and food security by analyzing the specific challenges faced by migrants who are (semi)permanently settled in an urban area (rather than border region). The main argument of this paper is that although many of the challenges faced by migrants are parallel to those faced by low-income citizens and internal migrants in Mexico City, transnational migrants face unique challenges that contribute to their increased vulnerability and food insecurity. These challenges have political/bureaucratic, social, and economic dimensions. The paper argues that incomplete documentation and social isolation pose specific challenges to migrants that compound their difficulty in achieving individual and household food security.