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| Home Front Economy |
| Fewer Mexicans Are Sending Money Home |
| 2007-08-09 |
| One in three Mexican migrants living in states where Hispanic migration is relatively new stopped sending money home this year. Anti-immigrant sentiment may be to blame, the Inter-American Development Bank reported Wednesday. In states considered "new destination" states for Latinos, such as Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, only 56 percent of Mexican migrants said they sent money home, compared to 80 percent the previous year. Migrants in these states previously had the highest remittance rate. By contrast, the rate of remittance for the first six months of this year was 66 percent - down from 68 percent - in states where Latino immigrants have traditionally lived, such as Texas, California and New Mexico. An estimated 10.4 million Mexican immigrant adults are living in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. ... Remittances totaled $11.5 billion from January to June, compared to $11.42 billion last year. The Central Bank of Mexico has reported remittances from the U.S. totaled $23.1 billion in 2006. The Inter-American bank projected only a .6 percent increase this year. Although more Mexican migrants are in the U.S., the drop in remittances offset the newcomers and kept the amounts flat, Terry said. ... Remittances to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras rose by an average of 11 percent in the first half of 2007, with a projected total for the year of $9.95 billion for Central American, up from $9.25 billion in 2006. Combined 2006 GDP of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras = $59 billion, or US remittances = 16% of GDP. Assuming a dollar exchanges hands 3 times before leaving the country, remittances drive 50% of GDP. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #16 I'd like to think that the decline is a result of further assimilation but the "all relatives here now" explanation shot that notion straight to hell. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-09 22:23 |
| #15 Good luck with your digestive problem. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-08-09 19:46 |
| #14 your bias against aliens is troubling....seek help. |
| Posted by: Spiny Gl 2511 2007-08-09 19:27 |
| #13 If they're not legal, they're not immigrants - they're aliens. Yep. Even when they're legal, they are still aliens. They are called Resident Aliens. I don't think you acquire "Immigrant" status unless you're going for the whole enchilada! Naturalized Citizenship. I could be wrong. |
| Posted by: Natural Law 2007-08-09 19:26 |
| #12 Actually they are illegal aliens. As I'm reminiscing, remember the good old days when the radio waves were saturated every January with admonitions for aliens to register at their local Post Office? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-08-09 18:21 |
| #11 I prefer the term "invaders", Barbara. |
| Posted by: GK 2007-08-09 18:02 |
| #10 #8: use fudge words like "immigrant" when they mean "illegal There - fixed that for ya', rj. If they're not legal, they're not immigrants - they're aliens. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-08-09 17:55 |
| #9 That's 'cause no one's left there to send it to. The invasion continues.... |
| Posted by: GK 2007-08-09 17:41 |
| #8 There was a brilliant article called Born American, but in the wrong place. I think it's time to start coining the counter-phrase. 'Born French, but in the wrong place' to describe the kind of Americans that use fudge words like "immigrant" when they mean "illegal Immigrant" because it helps them promote their anti-American transnationalist agenda. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2007-08-09 17:31 |
| #7 They've stopped sending money home because all their relatives are HERE now. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-08-09 12:26 |
| #6 Yeah, I love immigrants. I despise people who think they're entitled to waltz in and undercut natives in the job market. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-08-09 11:52 |
| #5 "Anti-immigrant sentiment" is a f*cking lie. I don't know anyone who's anti-immigrant. We're anti CRIME. I tire of the left's pathological need to mislabel everything. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-08-09 10:57 |
| #4 Build the fence NOW. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-08-09 10:18 |
| #3 AH, I believe it's a combination of both. The housing market and to a lesser extent, the agriculture markets (2 of the biggest illegal employers) have been hit hard. But, Congress, the President and even local officials have FINALLY heard from "the people" about illegal immigration. I've wondered for some months now, how this will shake out as the housing market crumbles. In other words, will they simply go back home, or will they target another industry/market to saturate with cheap labor, or will they just hang around and become welfare/handout groupies (or form gangs, which is happening in many locales)? I know which answer I'd like to see, but I'd bet it's not what'll happen in reality. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-09 10:18 |
| #2 "Anti-immigrant sentiment may be to blame" -- BS! Massive layoffs by homebuilders are far more likely to be a major cause, that is one line of work which has employed large numbers of illegals. (Albuquerque Walmarts sell safety glasses emblazoned with the Mexican flag.) Government reports of steady or slowly rising employment overall are just not believable. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-08-09 09:48 |
| #1 Must be the increase in gasoline costs for all those 1970's Ford Fairlane vans with 15 ladders atop. Combine this with the local governments starting to act against illegal immigrants, since the Feds won't, and it's a perfect storm. Several Counties around Atlanta have now enacted ordinances that make it illegal for rental complexes (apartments, condos, duplexes, etc.) to rent to illegal immigrants. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-09 09:47 |