Editor’s note: In this cross-post from Long Island Wins, a hub of pro-immigrant media and organizing in Long Island, New York, Ted Hesson explains the reasons why he’s traveling to Oaxaca, as part of a delegation that’s looking into the root causes of migration. To follow Ted’s posts from Oaxaca, go to Long Island Wins.

As we’ve said many times, immigrants are the lifeblood of Long Island and have been for generations. New immigrants help bolster our economy, enrich our communities, and make vast cultural contributions, from the arts to music to five-star restaurants.

While we devote much of our blog space to the impact that immigrants have on Long Island, we rarely look at the root causes of migration. We know that immigrants are good for our area, and for the country as a whole. But why is Long Island an attractive—and necessary—destination for immigrants?

To help answer that question, Long Island Wins is sending me on a week-long trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, as part of a delegation that will examine the root causes of migration. The delegation (a dozen people, plus me) is composed of a cross-section of Long Island residents, with local government officials, professors, police, and media all represented.

I’ll be blogging the trip, recounting the experiences as they happen and interviewing/profiling members of the delegation to get their impressions and feedback along the way. I’ll also have some photos and video (not sure what my Internet situation will be, but I’ll try to get online at least once a day).

The delegation will be led by Witness for Peace, a national grassroots organization that has run educational trips to Latin American for 25 years. While in Mexico, the group will meet with Mexican leaders in fields like labor, health, agriculture, and business, as well as with Mexican economists. One of the major themes of the trip will be the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on immigration flows.

Our group will also visit a migrant shelter in Oaxaca, where we’ll hear firsthand from migrants and shelter staff about the reasons for migration, and the tribulations that go along with it.

In addition to meetings and dialogues with Mexican government officials and economic experts, the delegation will spend a few nights in the homes of families in a rural indigenous community in southern Mexico.

I’ve never been to Mexico, and I expect it to be as fun as it is interesting and informative. Stay tuned for more posts as I get ready over the course of the next couple of days.