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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Illegals Returning To Mexico Re-discover Why They Left |
| 2008-12-10 |
| When her 3-year-old son begs for pizza, or when her family is shivering through yet another night in the Mexican highlands, those are the moments when Rosario Araujo misses America the most. Just three months ago, Araujo and her husband, José Zavala, were still living comfortably, though illegally, as migrant workers in Gilbert. He hung drywall for $10 an hour, and she cleaned houses. They had a small apartment, a washing machine and an occasional night out with their two American-born children. But when work dried up in the economic crisis, they were forced to head south. Now, they live in a cinder-block house, huddle near a space heater and wash clothes by hand. The family is part of a small but growing number of Mexican migrants who are heading home because of the U.S. recession and finding Mexico is barely prepared to receive them. "It was a difficult decision," Araujo admitted. "We took a lot of risks to get (to America). We miss it." Even in bad times, most illegal immigrants - they number 11.9 million, according to Pew Hispanic Center estimates - are staying put. U.S. salaries average about four times as high as those in Mexico, and Mexico's flat job market and drug-war violence have made home inhospitable. But the collapse of the U.S. economy - particularly the housing industry, which relies heavily on migrant labor - means that some workers could simply run out of cash in the months ahead. That could push many to return to their homeland, where at least family can provide shelter and food. "We have to face the possibility of a very large number of Mexicans (coming home)," Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said last month. The trend eventually could ease some of the strain that illegal immigrants place on services such as schools and hospitals in U.S. border areas, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, a liberal Washington, D.C., think tank. The impact in Mexico could be enormous because the country has long depended on emigration as a kind of safety valve for the economy, which doesn't produce enough jobs for those entering the labor force. Espinosa said the government is trying to prepare schools and social agencies for an influx of poor migrants. That will be difficult. Many children who are returning home don't even speak Spanish. Other migrants bring expectations shaped from having lived in a developed country for years. Zavala worries about his children's education. "The schools there (in the United States), they take the children in a bus and give them food, books, everything," he said. "Here, you walk to school and you get nothing." For now, the couple are barely scraping by off their dwindling savings. Zavala spends his days tending his father's three cows, waiting for planting season and worrying about the future. Article is strongly sugar-coated. Often, the local Patron just says, "Take off the Nikes, put on your sandals, and get back to work in the fields, you high-school educated Peon dog, before I flog you." This order is not well-received. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #30 Glenmore, I completely sympathize. However, the worthless, feckless bastards that you're wishing to exchange are American citizens. The illegals aren't. There's the difference. The former are just parasites. The latter are knowingly breaking our laws as well as being parasites. Either that open flouting of the laws ends or the country does. It's that simple. |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-12-10 21:35 |
| #29 Face tattoo: Mike Tyson? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-12-10 19:46 |
| #28 Living here in Katrina-land I gained a lot of respect for our illegal Latino immigrants, and would happily keep them and swap a like number of our legal citizens to Mexico instead. Illegal Mexicans living in tents or six to a motel room, eating tortillas and canned beans while they gut nasty flooded houses for citizens who are fed and housed in unaffected cities at MY expense - the whole process bugs the heck out of me. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-12-10 19:18 |
| #27 But the collapse of the U.S. economy - particularly the housing industry, which relies heavily on migrant labor - How about if some of our home building companies go south and get some drug lord to invest in the kind of massive housing tracts they build up here down there? Do you think the Mexican government is stupid enough to pass a Mexican equivalent of the Community Reinvestmant Act? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-12-10 18:34 |
| #26 Face Tatoos, ancient culture in the Pacific and Asia. |
| Posted by: Earl of Sandwich 2008-12-10 17:37 |
| #25 Stuffing that crowd back into Mexico and into poverty is going to be a problem for Mexico. Good. All the more reason to jam their asses back across the border faster. Build the damned wall, build it immediately, and put bullets in anyone who tries to go over, under or through it. Screw Mex. They've tried to hurt us every way possible and been successful at most of them. We should long since have broken diplomatic relations and told them to enjoy their trade with Guatemala. The U.S. needs to start treating them and their invaders like the national enemy they are. |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-12-10 16:53 |
| #24 It's not just an economic safety valve. The most pro-active, energetic, risk-taking, unsatisfied folks make the trip north. Stuffing that crowd back into Mexico and into poverty is going to be a problem for Mexico. |
| Posted by: Richard Aubrey 2008-12-10 15:42 |
| #23 I don't care if your arrested for jay walking or littering, but face tattos should dictate an automatic death sentence. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-12-10 14:45 |
| #22 Hispanic Gangs cross border operations |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-10 14:25 |
| #21 They lost their IBM jobs in the States. |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-10 14:18 |
| #20 Zavala worries about his children's education. "The schools there (in the United States), they take the children in a bus and give them food, books, everything," he said. "Here, you walk to school and you get nothing." Okay, Jose. How about we consider it payback for all those taxes you never paid up here for your kids getting all that swell free gringo stuff? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-12-10 14:18 |
#19 No decent tattoo parlors. |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-10 14:13 |
| #18 I'm surprised the Messikan government (sic) isn't demanding repatriations from US to cover the costs of |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2008-12-10 14:11 |
| #17 Without the safety valve perhaps Mexico will see some political reform and start their journey towards being a first world nation. A century late but better late than never. Or we could find ourselves with a completely collapsed / failed state on our border, where there is little in the way of natural barriers and across which the dysfunction and violence is already pouring. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-10 13:53 |
| #16 That's an Air Force thing. "When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. MEANING, fly in circles and radio for help. |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2008-12-10 13:24 |
| #15 Yes they have. It's around most of their estates to keep the smelly |
| Posted by: ed 2008-12-10 13:16 |
| #14 I know this is... out of the box, but has anyone in government given consideration to a BIG PHUECHING FENCE OR WALL? Snark off! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-10 13:10 |
| #13 The crime levels in Mexico are truly world-class, with US drug money and weapons mixing with the Mexican nation's dysfunction in a real devil's brew. It's just a matter of time before it spills over the border into the USA. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2008-12-10 13:00 |
| #12 Sorry, but I doubt 10% will return. Even the criminal life here is easier than the peasant life there. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-12-10 12:29 |
| #11 Without the safety valve perhaps Mexico will see some political reform and start their journey towards being a first world nation. A century late but better late than never. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-12-10 12:10 |
| #10 Never fear, the Obama infrastructure program will create many jobs "Americans" won't do. |
| Posted by: bman 2008-12-10 11:49 |
| #9 P2k & Blondie- When in trouble or in doubt, wank in circles, "eee-vil" shout. (At least Blago is an honest crook. No hand-wringing there.) |
| Posted by: Spot 2008-12-10 11:15 |
| #8 p2k, it will never happen....because that would imply that our culture is better than theirs, when we all know that the US is eeeeeeeeeevilll. |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2008-12-10 10:20 |
| #7 Gee, if they liked it here so much maybe they ought all go back and turn Mehicco into something more like the US. Then would not only they be happier but so would all the other Mehiccans. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-12-10 10:12 |
| #6 Amazing Spot isn't it. Instead of making excuses for the illegals, how about the usual wankers spend more time pressuring other governments to adopt the model that attracts so many of their people here. Of course, same said wankers just bitch and moan about here never acknowledging that even in its imperfections that it is way and far ahead of most of the rest of the world, and willing, for those who do go through the legal process, to accept any color, race, or creed [even as suicidal as it seems some day]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-12-10 10:06 |
| #5 How about exporting some US values to Messico? Couldn't hurt. |
| Posted by: Spot 2008-12-10 09:53 |
| #4 Economic Freedom (really the freedom of association) is the creator of all wealth. It's a pity America is slowly raising it's fines for being productive. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2008-12-10 09:53 |
| #3 Well, if your children are US citizens, put in for your green card. If accepted, we will welcome you back with open arms. I also think they only miss the comforts of America, not the idea of it. They will learn to miss the freedoms as well in the coming Mexican unrest. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-12-10 09:51 |
| #2 Well, I for one think repatriation is a good thing. |
| Posted by: Andy Ulusoque aka Broadhead6 2008-12-10 09:40 |
| #1 If they'd have followed the law, they'd be able to stay here. As it is, so long -- we won't miss ya! |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2008-12-10 09:37 |