Between Arabic, English, and Spanish: Syrian migrations between Mexico and the midwest in the twentieth century

Authors

• Ashley Johnson Bavery, Eastern Michigan University

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2025

Department/School

History and Philosophy

Publication Title

Hidden Histories of Unauthorized Migrations from Europe to the United States

Abstract

In the first two decades of the twentieth century, thousands of Muslim immigrants left the Ottoman state of Greater Syria for Mexico, building a Mahjar (Syrian-Lebanese diaspora) that soon stretched into the American Midwest. The United States officially categorized Syrians as white Europeans in 1909, allowing them legal entrance into the United States, but along U.S. ports of entry, immigration officials used discretionary laws and border practices to exclude Muslim Syrians.¹ As a result, Syrians hoping to reach the United States relied on a vast smuggling network that facilitated their journeys through Mexico and their unauthorized crossing over the U.S.

Comments

A. J. Bavery is a faculty member in EMU's Department of History and Philosophy.

Link to WorldCat Entry

The "Link to Full Text" button directs readers to the book's WorldCat record, where they can find bibliographic information and options for locating a copy. The full text is not hosted in DigitalCommons@EMU.

Recommended Citation

Bavery, A. J. (2025). Between Arabic, English, and Spanish: Syrian migrations between Mexico and the midwest in the twentieth century. In D. Battisti & S. D. Kang (Eds.), Hidden histories of unauthorized migrations from Europe to the United States (pp. 126-146). University of Illinois Press.