Describes the experience of Central American immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala in Southern California. While significant numbers are becoming settled, the Central American immigrants simultaneously sustain ties within their communities and their countries of origin. Central American migrant practices are analyzed in the context of a three-way relationship between the globalization of capital, international migration, and transnationalism. Transnationalism is the process by which migrants, through their daily activities, create relationships that cross national boundaries and has occurred throughout United States immigration history. The rapid growth of the Central American migrant population and the transnational practices of Salvadorans and Guatemalans reflect the impact of economic restructuring and technological developments in Central America and the United States. At the same time, new forms of organized transnationalism have emerged through which migrants respond to problems or newly perceived needs. The migrants have strengthened networks linking them with their countries of origin, and in the process have transformed these communities as well as the national economy through sending back cash remittances to their families. Likewise, practices brought from El Salvador and Guatemala have transformed neighborhoods in Southern California. (IP)
