Attention Mexican Government officials:NEWSFLASH: Remittances are down, Anti-immigration is up..
Immigration Up, Crime Down
The Economic Consequences of Anti-Immigration
Is mass immigration fueling xenophobia?
Are tougher immigration laws good for society?
Government Shut Down? Who Cares?
For the first time since 1995, remittances are down and have been steadily declining for six months straight.
Remittances, is the term used for all money earned by Mexican migrant workers in the United States and sent home to families in Mexico. This money is Mexico's second largest source legal foreign income, after oil exports. In 2007, Mexican remittances were reported to be $24 BILLION, nearly triple the amount of $9 billion received in 2001. The American money entering the country has maintained families, businesses, and many towns.
Due to the United States increased illegal immigrant raids and the decrease in housing construction, many legal and illegal migrants are finding it difficult to find jobs and even more difficult to send money home.
For receiving businesses and families in Mexico, it will be a time to scale back. For many families, scaling back will not be an option, as it is the primary source of income, essential to their basic survival.
Maybe our Mexican government will finally take notice. Maybe our own loss of citizens is not enough to require action, but being hit in the wallet will be. It is time to create opportunities HERE. Our president, Felipe Calderon, has stated he is not a president who likes to see Mexicans leave the country, because every immigrant who leaves Mexico represents a loss. Unfortunatly those "losses" represent opportunities that don't need to be created in Mexico and $24 billion personal gains.
It looks as though we will continue needing the United States to create opportunities, only time will tell if its crackdown on immigration will force our own government into offering the same.
