For the last three years, New Mexico State University political science, public law and administration professor Neil Harvey has led undergraduates from across the country in a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program about immigration on the U.S-Mexico border.
“For undergraduates, it’s sometimes difficult to get an interesting research project that’s paid and has this experience of going somewhere else on a topic that they’re passionate about, so this REU is really a great thing.” said Harvey, principal investigator of the NSF REU.
From DePaul University in Illinois to California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, eleven undergraduates from universities across the country met at NMSU and its partner institution, the University of Texas at El Paso, to participate in the summer research program. Together, the students spent nine weeks traveling between Las Cruces, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez to visit migrant shelters, collaborate with faculty and students at El Colegio de Chihuahua, work with community partner organizations and conduct research to develop their final projects.
The REU teaches students to ethically conduct their research by using a technique called community-based participatory research. This practice brings researchers and local community partner organizations together to discuss the specific needs of the community, rather than researchers assuming what those needs are. Having these conversations before defining their research questions allows students to build a connection with the community and ensure their research provides meaningful support on relevant issues.
For Ruben Morales, an NMSU junior this fall double majoring in justice, political philosophy and law along with sociology, his REU experience was full of learning opportunities.
Morales saw the migrant shelters through two lenses; one as a researcher and the other as someone with family members who have migrated. Experiencing the on-site component of the REU with this blended perspective allowed him to develop deeper connections with the community, strengthening his research in the process.
“Seeing it firsthand opened my eyes to a lot more of what it means to be a migrant,” he said. “Being there brought me back into my cultural identity and understanding more of myself and the people I had the opportunity to connect with.”
“There are a lot of debates about migration and border issues,” Harvey said. “Here, you have 61 students since 2018 who have come through Las Cruces, El Paso and Juárez and have seen firsthand what’s going on and have done good work.”
Many of these students have gone on to write honors theses, present papers at conferences, author publications and continue to graduate school. “That’s really what the program’s designed to do; to give people the motivation, experience and skills to do well in grad school,” Harvey said.
Even with all the care and intention that goes into picking their research questions, students still must learn to be agile in their studies. Rapidly changing immigration policies on both sides of the border coupled with uncertain funding for nonprofits and other organizations challenged each student to continually adapt their research strategy.
“If they go on to research in a professional capacity, that’s a skill that they will be glad of,” Harvey said. “They’ll recognize it in the field, because it happens a lot.”
From Morales’ first hands-on research experience to connecting with his cultural identity, the program helped him learn more about himself and his goals for his future.
“Throughout the project, I’ve definitely grown in my understanding of my writing and my ability to conceptualize a lot of data,” Morales said. “I’ve been able to pick up on skills that are required in research overall and it’s given me a lot of confidence in this area.
“Really being within the community has made me want to continue doing ethnographic research in general,” he added. “I want to make sure that what I’m learning, I’m also giving back.”
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CUTLINE: Ruben Morales, NMSU junior and student in the Immigration Policy and Border Communities REU, presents his findings from the 9-week research program. (NMSU photo by Sarah Kimmerly)
CUTLINE: Ruben Morales, NMSU junior double majoring in justice, political philosophy and sociology. (NMSU photo by Sarah Kimmerly)
CUTLINE: The 2025 cohort of the Immigration Policy and Border Communities REU and members from community partner organizations watch as students present their research. (NMSU photo by Sarah Kimmerly)
