Mexican Migration Reaches “Net Zero” In United States


Opponents to illegal immigration and for that matter legal immigration will be happy to learn that Mexican immigrants are choosing to stay in their own country rather than cross over into the United States. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s millions of legal and illegal Mexican immigrants came to the United States in search of better paying jobs, however living conditions in Mexico have improved over the years while finding a job during a U.S. recession has proved harder than ever before.

According to the Christian Science Monitor more than one million Mexicans have left the United States from 2005 through 2010, three times the number experienced in the previous five years. It’s that incredibly large exodus that has led some researchers to claim the countries first “net zero” immigration since the 1960s.

Researchers now believe that the number of undocumented Mexicans in the country is 11 million, down from 12 million before the 2008 recession began to cut workforces in all sectors of the United States. Even as jobs begin to return undocumented Mexicans are choosing to stay home.

When we throw in better border security and improving lifestyle choices in Mexico it’s easy to see why many people have decided to avoid the United States. The Mexican government over the last decade have worked to greatly improve educational considerations int he country, have built out an improved overall infrastructure and have witnessed increases in salaries. The country has also seen a falling fertility rate which helps in the jobs sector and allows people to cut their expenses.

To put Mexico’s improvement into perspective, high school enrollment rates are from 54% in 1991 to 87% in 2009 while higher education enrollment also increased from 15% to 27% of the overall population.

With a country on the brink of economic prosperity it’s no wonder more undocumented Mexicans and even some legal U.S. workers are returning home with the promise of a better future for them and their families.

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