Fewer Mexicans Entering U.S., More Leaving

Mexican immigration to the United States has slowed after four decades of the largest rush of migrants from a single country in American history and may even be declining, a report by the Pew Hispanic Center says. –ARK

The New York Times:

In what the report called a “notable reversal of the historic pattern,” the number of Mexicans leaving rose sharply in the five years after 2005, while the new flow of migrants coming from Mexico into the United States fell steeply, Pew demographers found.

For the first time in at least two decades, the population of illegal immigrants from Mexico living in this country significantly decreased, according to the report. In 2011, about 6.1 million Mexicans were living here illegally, down from a peak of nearly 7 million in 2007, it said.

… [Jeffrey Passel, the senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center and a co-writer of the report] said the data does not allow Pew demographers to say which factor was most important in reducing the population of illegal immigrants. The report cited a mix, including high unemployment in the United States, particularly in the construction industry; heightened border enforcement and increased deportations by the American authorities; and a long-term decline in birth rates in Mexico.

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