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Mexodus: The Run For The Border May be Reversing

Lynette Romero, KTLA News

March 11, 2009


LOS ANGELES -- He says "this situation is forcing day laborers to go back to their countries. Instead of being here suffering alone they prefer to go back and suffer with their families."

The run for the border seems to be switching sides.

Instead of coming to the U.S. for better opportunities many immigrants are going back home because the economy is so bad here.

In fact, some people are now calling it a Mexodus.

Although there are no real numbers yet on just how many people are leaving, Rodrigo Polanco of Central De Autobuses says he's seen a big change in his business.

During the busiest time of the year about a thousand people take buses from Los Angeles back across the border into Mexico.

He says before everyone bought a round trip ticket, because they planned to come back but not anymore.

He says, "the situation in this country is very hard for them and their family and they prefer to go to Mexico and stay there."

Palonco estimates about 10 percent of his business is now one way ticket sales.

You can see how the economy is affecting day laborers at the Carecen Center in Los Angeles. Work has dried up.

On a good day there's work for only a handful of men and some days there is no work.

Rony Gudiel says he's always had a job. He worked for the same company installing furniture for 17 years, until the bad economy forced them to close up shop and he lost his job.

Now he's a day laborer. Is he thinking of going back across the border? He says "I don't know, I'm here for 22 years, I don't know how it is over there now."

But the reality is it's tough here too. Jeronimo Salguero of the Carecen Day Labor Center says on average about 5 people a week a placed in homeless shelters because they're living on the streets.

www.ktla.com