A new study finds more Mexicans are leaving the United States than coming into the country.
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Workplace raids by immigration agents, nose-diving birthrates at home and the economic slowdown north of the border have convinced almost half of Mexicans surveyed that life in their native country is as good or better than what would await them if they crossed into the USA, according to findings released Thursday by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.
Despite the downward trend, Mexico remains the world’s largest source of new immigrants to the United States, the report said. Still, by using all available data, Pew report stresses that the overall flow of Mexican immigrants between the States and Mexico is now at its lowest since the 1990s.
The decline in the flow of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. is due to several reasons, the report said. Earlier this year, it was reported that the United States was welcoming more immigrants from China and India than from Mexico, not withstanding the vast differences in distance and means of arrival between the three nations. However, the stricter implementation of border measures during the Obama administration has already helped in diminishing illegal crossings to the U.S.
Today, an estimated 11.7 million Mexicans live in the USA, down from 12.8 million in 2007.
At the Texas border with Mexico, while one group of immigrants is knocking at the door, another group is fleeing in record numbers. Mexicans surveyed over a period of time indicated while the USA was much more favorable for making a living, more-recent surveys show Mexicans believe opportunities are about the same. This is despite the growing number of immigrants coming to the US from Central America. Family reunification seems to be one of the leading factors and this all comes as immigration becomes more of a focal point in the upcoming presidential election. A total of 35 percent said they would be willing to do so if they were able, including 20 percent who said they would enter the country illegally. “They came to the United States in search of a better life for me and my siblings”, Gonzalez said. But on the flip side, the director of Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center says Mexico’s improving economy encourages people to stay put. “US border apprehensions of Mexicans have fallen sharply, to just 230,000 in fiscal year 2014 – a level not seen since 1971”.
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A third of the adults in Mexico surveyed (33 percent) said those who emigrate to the US have about the same quality of life as those in their own country.
