The Pew Hispanic Center has released a new report on trends in migration from Mexico. For the first time in 40 years, immigration from Mexico has slowed:
This is a notable change, as Mexican immigration has been the single largest immigrant flow to the U.S. form a single country, in overall numbers (though in the late 1800s, German and Irish immigrants made up a larger percent of all immigrants annually than Mexicans make up today). The report attributes this change to a range of factors, from changing economic conditions in Mexico, the recession’s effects on the U.S. economy, border enforcement, and the dangers of border crossings.
Indeed, we may now be seeing more people moving from the U.S. to Mexico than vice versa:
The change is due primarily to a drop in undocumented immigration, which peaked around 2007 and has dropped off significantly since:
There’s a lot more information available on changes in border enforcement and socio-economic changes in Mexico, so check out the full report.
Comments 13
Steve Pan — April 24, 2012
If we destroy our economy then all the Mexicans will go away!! -white people
Rishi — April 24, 2012
I like how we have "unauthorized" vs. "legal". It's ok to say illegal. I know its lefty rule not to use the word when talking about immigration, but seriously, it just sounds silly sometimes. Like now for example.
Anonymous — April 24, 2012
Just as the South Park has prophesied.
Some Interesting Changes in Mexican-U.S. Immigration Patterns… « Welcome to the Doctor's Office — April 24, 2012
[...] from SocImages [...]
Intestingproblems — April 24, 2012
People are ignorant now days its not because the American economy has tanked now go out there and thanks all your other white people for that better yet thank your president! Seriously Im not Mexican good way to start a sentence but Im actually happy that people from Mexico are focused on fixing their economy and their problems and dont run to the nearest border to help fix the problems of an idiotic country that dont value the job and sacrifice they do even if its illegally! For now dont blame a mexican for stealing your job blame yourselves (white people) for being lazy and not electing someone that can do a better job for this country.
Gilbert Pinfold — April 24, 2012
Canada should build a fence.
Village Idiot — April 26, 2012
It'd be interesting to know what caused the uptick around 1900. It almost looks predictive of the international economic trouble that followed (though only in hindsight) and the change in the rate that began in 1970 looks like an exponentially-larger version of the 1900 increase that likewise stopped and began dropping after a major economic crisis. It looks like it almost leveled off around the time of the dot com bubble bursting but that event apparently wasn't quite big enough of a downturn to affect immigration.
This kind of data will almost certainly be used to show that the stricter immigration laws recently passed in various states are working to reverse the trend even though the graph suggests economic conditions are more likely the primary motivating factor. Political spin being what it is (unapologetically opportunistic) I bet we'll see state politicians trying to win political points by claiming the immigration reform laws they supported are clearly working as intended when the more likely reason for the growing exodus is that those same politicians and their respective parties wrecked our economy so a lot of the work simply dried up and the people left on their own. I hope people remember this when it's time to vote and don't just give the current crop of arrogantly-dense sociopaths in power "credit" for screwing things up by reelecting them.