More Mexican Immigrants Are Exiting the United States Than Arriving, Study Says

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau was used to determine how many Mexicans entered the United States during the specified time period, and data from two surveys performed in Mexico was used to determine how many Mexicans left the United States.

Pew has been tracking immigration flows for about 15 years, said Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, a research associate who wrote the report.

Pew found that more than 1 million Mexican immigrants and their families, including American-born children, left the US for Mexico from 2009 to 2014.

The authors analyzed US and Mexican census data and a 2014 survey by Mexico’sNational Institute of Statistics and Geography.

The Great Recession definitely played a role, according to the report, though mostly early on in the 2009-2014 period, when more returnees cited not being able to find a job as a reason for going back.

The Washington-based Pew Research Center determined that the return migration of Mexican nationals and their families has been higher than migration heading to the U.S.in the past decade.

“In 2007, 42% of Mexican adults said they kept in contact with acquaintances living in the USA, while today, 35% say so”, the study said.

During that same time frame, an estimated 817,000 Mexican nationals left Mexico to come to the US, resulting in a net loss of 140,000, the Pew said. Similarly in the current debate about Syrian immigrants, the people coming in are not the threat that the politicians trying to shut them out think they are.

The slowdown in Mexican migration also means that the profile of Mexican-born immigrants in the United States has changed dramatically.

Also, Mexico’s population is aging, meaning there’s less competition for young people looking for work. But in September, the school offered something new – English classes for people who recently arrived and don’t yet speak the language. By 2014, the overall figure dropped to 11.7 million.

“It’s interesting that migration from Mexico appears to now be turning towards Mexico at the same time that migration from Asia seems to be on the rise”, Lopez said.

In coming years, he said, the amount of Mexicans may rise again in case the US market continues to enhance. The Obama administration has deported more Mexicans than any other president.

“We have our life here”, she said at Fresno’s Mexican consulate.

“The Mexican government is encouraging Mexicans overseas to come back and invest in Mexico and start small businesses”.