Extending upon Taylor and Martin’s 2003 study on the circular relationship between farm labor demand and migration, researchers hope to examine the implications arising from the Great Recession for rural poverty in the U.S., as well as rural Mexico. Our Research Affiliates will examine the link between migration and poverty at both ends of the farm labor migration stream. The recession provides a quasi-natural experiment to study the effects of global recession on migration patterns from rural Mexico to the U.S. and the subsequent impacts on rural poverty in Mexico. Similarly, the sudden increase in U.S. immigration enforcement following September 11, 2001 provides an opportunity to examine how immigration policy enforcement affects rural poverty.