Irvin Ibargüen
I am a professional historian, born and raised in NYC. I obtained my PhD at Harvard University and am a history professor at New York University.
My research proceeds from one question: what happens when we stop prioritizing how immigration impacts the US, and instead forefront how sending states, transit states and migrants themselves experienced it?
My first book, Caught in the Current: Mexico’s Struggle to Regulate Emigration, 1940-1980, tells the story of Mexican efforts to contain out-migration. It won the Gold Medal for Best History Book at the 2026 International Latino Book Awards. It also received Honorable Mention for Best Academic-Themed Book.
I have written essays based on the book for both US and Mexican outlets, including TIME, NACLA, and Letras Libres. And have contributed to televised public programming on Latino history, including appearances on PBS and ABC.
Caught in the Current: Mexico's Struggle to Regulate Emigration, 1940–1980 is a pioneering analysis of Mexico’s efforts to curb the outflow of its citizens to the United States. It spotlights the miscalculation of Mexican authorities, who believed they could restrain migration at will—particularly when it provoked social chaos, drained the domestic labor pool, or produced egregious cases of migrant abuse. Mexico’s counter-migratory policies, both those based on coercion and incentives, repeatedly collapsed. Mexican migrants resisted restrictions, U.S. authorities refused to cooperate, and Mexican officials ultimately lacked resolve. As the migration swelled, it slipped beyond Mexico’s control. What was once seen as a looming source of disorder, depletion, and disgrace became naturalized as an irreversible fact of national life.
Contact Page
For any inquiries, please reach out to me at ii300@nyu.edu. If it is time sensitive, please specify so in the subject line.