**1. Introduction**

Galicia is an autonomous region and national minority in northwestern Spain with a long history of emigration. Much of this emigration has been towards Argentina, Cuba, and other Latin American countries; however, this research focuses on the migrants who immigrated to the United States, an area that has been surprisingly understudied. While Galicia may have a long history of emigration, the US has one of immigration, assimilation, and Americanization. Often, immigrants are assumed to incorporate into the host society, melting into the 'melting pot', and becoming 'Americans'. However, scholars have been increasingly arguing that this is not the case, and instead, immigration can be approached as multidirectional, highly mobile, without a finite destination, and creating spaces of transnational social life. Not all immigrants who arrive in America stay and even those who stay often maintain connections to the homeland. These strong connections can even be reflected in second and third generations. Galician<sup>1</sup> migrants to the US and their descendants are an example of sustained ties to the homeland even generations after immigration. However, these Galician-American identities are obtainable through repeated homeland visits within a transnational field of continual mobility.

<sup>1</sup> Those from Galicia are referred to in this paper as Galicians. However, participants will often use the Spanish term Gallegos to refer to individuals from Galicia. Since this is the term participants preferred, it was preserved within the interview transcripts and the quotes presented in this paper.
