Net immigration from Mexico falls to zero

Immigration, of the illegal variety, is a hot-button issue for the Republican presidential candidates, and many Americans. However, new evidence suggests that poor economic prospects are far more effective at deterring illegal immigration than fences and border guards.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Data from both US and Mexican officials is suggesting that illegal immigration is substantially down from what it was several years ago. Experts blame the lingering recession and growing anti-immigration sentiment throughout the US.

A lack of jobs, and tough talk, and sometimes harsh laws, are deterring many from entering the country illegally.

Data also suggests that many who previously entered the country illegally are now returning to Mexico.

Another less well understood factor, but a significant one, are the Mexican drug cartels that are beginning to take over human smuggling operations across the border. Many people are deciding to avoid the risk of dealing with violent criminal games in their effort to find a better life in America.

The number of Mexican nationals returning is actually so great, that according to Mexican census figures, net immigration is now virtually zero. The US Border Patrol is also reporting that arrests throughout the southwestern states, has dropped to approximately 300,000 over the past year. This is down from a peak of 1.6 million arrests in 2000.

There is debate whether the drop in numbers is temporary, or permanent, but most experts agree that it has more to do with the bleak economic situation in the United States than anything else.
The number of Mexican immigrants living in the United States is estimated to be approximately 12.5 million with slightly more than half of those immigrants being undocumented.

Steep declines in the construction industry and other fields that largely employ undocumented laborers, have caused those who remain in the US to tell family members back home about the poor prospects in the US. Those discouraging words are having an impact.

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