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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Influx of Mexican illegal aliens falls 60 percent in 1 year |
| 2009-07-22 |
| Apparently deterred by rising unemployment in the U.S., the number of Mexican immigrants who crossed the border in the past year dropped sharply to the lowest level in a decade, while undocumented workers already here are opting to stay. The analysis of census data from the U.S. and Mexican governments, being released today by the Pew Hispanic Center, highlights the impact of the economic downturn on Mexican immigrants, many of whom enter the United States illegally. The study found that immigrants arriving from Mexico fell by 249,000 from March 2008 to March 2009, down nearly 60 percent from the previous year. As a result, the annual inflow of immigrants is now 175,000, having steadily decreased from a peak of 653,000 in 2005, before the bursting of the housing bubble dried up construction and other low-wage jobs. The total population of Mexican-born immigrants in the U.S. also edged lower in the past year, from 11.6 million to 11.5 million, according to the study by Pew, an independent research group. Up to 85 percent of immigrants are believed to be in the country illegally. Immigrants already in the U.S. are opting not to return to Mexico. Many of them are betting the economy will improve, as well as perhaps hoping that immigration reform can pave the way for U.S. citizenship, said Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at Pew who co-authored the study. According to the data, the level of Mexican migrants who return home from the U.S. and other countries each year, about 450,000, has remained largely unchanged. "There's not a lot in Mexico to go back to because, if anything, the Mexican economy is doing worse," Passel said. "But also, in light of enforcement that has made it more dangerous and expensive to get into the U.S., once people get here, they're reluctant to leave." Passel said that although the immigration shifts may be temporary depending on the length of the U.S. recession, some of the effects could be longer-lasting. He noted that fewer Hispanics coming to the U.S. could further slow minority-population growth here because higher fertility levels among Hispanics are driving much of the recent increases. Mexico's population also is graying and its labor force shrinking, which could mean a better job picture in that country due to less worker competition in the next five to 10 years. That could mean reduced immigration levels from Mexico to the United States after the economy recovers, Passel said. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #2 Demand creates supply. If you cut demand by enforcing the law on employers of those who illegally enter the country then you'd have less illegal immigration. To mitigate the problems you could also change the tax system so it's on land (impossible to get around) rather than the reward for dishonesty called income taxes. You could also change the benefits system so you pay every citizen, and they make their own provision, rather than bureaucrats deciding what people want. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-07-22 11:40 |
| #1 Many Mexicans are electing to return to Mexico because if there are no jobs on either side of the border Mexico is a much cheaper place to live. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2009-07-22 10:50 |