As migration from Mexico declines, border apprehensions rise
WASHINGTON — U.S. economic woes and beefed-up border security are discouraging immigration from Mexico, according to a survey released Wednesday.
Though the Pew Research Center study found that living in the U.S. remains a goal for many Mexicans, the poll found that 40 percent of Mexican adults know people who have returned to Mexico from the U.S. because they couldn't find a job. And 47 percent of Mexicans say they know someone who had been turned away at the American border.
The survey's results ratify two studies released over the summer by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Department of Homeland Security, both of which indicated that far fewer Mexicans are trying to migrate to the U.S., even as more Mexicans view the U.S. favorably.
These trends indicate that the recession is a major factor in dampening the influx of Mexican immigrants.
“The early part of the recession did hit jobs hard,” especially in construction, said Mark Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center.
Construction is typically a mainstay of job growth for Hispanic workers, but according to a 2008 Pew Hispanic Center report, Latinos lost 250,000 construction jobs between 2007 and 2008.
A July Pew study showed Mexico-to-U.S. migration has declined 40 percent from 2006-2007 to 2008-2009. The Department of Homeland Security reported in June that border apprehensions for undocumented immigrants were at their lowest since 1976.
Historically, “in times of serious economic contraction, there definitely is a migration impact on the number of people coming to the U.S.,” said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications at the Migration Policy Institute. Illegal immigrants and temporary workers are particularly deterred, she added.
Despite the recession, however, an increasing number of Mexicans feel they would be better off in the U.S., according to Wednesday's Pew report: 57 percent said life would be better north of the border, compared to 51 percent in 2007.
Troubled by their own domestic problems, such as crime, drugs, and corruption, one-third of Mexicans said they would migrate to the U.S. if they had the means to. More than half of that group said they would migrate without authorization, the Pew study reported.
Mexicans also indicated they are much happier with President Barack Obama than his predecessor, Texan George W. Bush. Fifty-five percent of Mexicans said they have confidence in Obama, while only 16 percent of Mexicans surveyed last year said they had confidence in Bush. According to the new Pew survey, 69 percent of Mexicans said they have a positive view of the U.S., up from 47 percent a year ago.
0 comments:
Post a Comment