Thread: Flow of migrant money to Mexico stalls

Flow of migrant money to Mexico stalls

A dragging U.S. economy and a campaign against undocumented workers are key reasons why Mexican migrants’ remittances home have leveled off.

ELISABETH MALKIN

EL RODEO, Mexico — For years, millions of Mexican migrants working in the United States have sent money back home to villages like this one, money that allows families to pay medical bills and school fees, build houses and buy clothes or, if they save enough, maybe start a tiny business.

But after years of strong increases, the amount of migrant money flowing to Mexico has stagnated. From 2000 to 2006, these remittances grew to nearly $24 billion a year from $6.6 billion, increasing more than 20 percent some years. In 2007, the increase so far has been less than 2 percent.

Migrants and migration experts say a flagging American economy and an enforcement campaign against undocumented workers in the United States have persuaded some migrants not to try to cross the border illegally to look for work. Others have decided to return to Mexico. And many of those who are staying in the United States are sending less money home.

In the rest of the world, remittances are surging, up as much as 10 percent a year, according to Donald F. Terry of the Inter-American Development Bank. Last year, migrant workers worldwide sent more than $300 billion to developing countries — almost twice the amount of foreign direct investment.

But in Mexico, families are feeling squeezed.

Estrella Rivera, a slight 27-year-old in this stone-paved village in Guanajuato state in west-central Mexico, was hoping to use the money her husband, Alonso, sent back from working illegally in Texas to build a small clothing shop at the edge of her garden. But a month ago, Alonso Rivera returned home. His hours at a Dallas window-screen factory were cut back and there was speculation that he would inevitably have to produce a valid Social Security number.

Now, he works odd jobs or tends the cornfields. Estrella Rivera’s shop is indefinitely delayed, a pile of red bricks stacked on the grass.

RETURNING HOME

Like Alonso Rivera, some of the men who went to work in the United States illegally have returned discouraged. And less work means less money to send home — particularly from the Southern United States and other areas where Mexican migrants are a more recent presence.

â€

IF, and I do mean IF, this is true - then it might account for all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Mexican politicians.

Quote in part:


"In the rest of the world, remittances are surging, up as much as 10 percent a year, according to Donald F. Terry of the Inter-American Development Bank. Last year, migrant workers worldwide sent more than $300 billion to developing countries — almost twice the amount of foreign direct investment."

That's 300 billion that could be used here in this country to give our soldiers a decent raise and money to build a fence, man it, build the facilites to put illegal border crossers in, pay for extra judges to process them out and rebuild our infra-structure that is hurting from so many extra people who shouldn't be here.

Isn't that a fact.

Why in the world is our government doing this to this country?

Do they think they will somehow have some guarded kingdom where they can escape when we finally hit the goo a the bottom of this slide?

From 2000 to 2006, these remittances grew to nearly $24 billion a year from $6.6 billion, increasing more than 20 percent some years. In 2007, the increase so far has been less than 2 percent.

Why are the remittances still increasing?

For years, millions of Mexican migrants working in the United States have sent money back home to villages like this one, money that allows families to pay medical bills and school fees, build houses and buy clothes or, if they save enough, maybe start a tiny business.

Let me get this straight. Illegal aliens come to our country to earn better money. While they are here, their children get a FREE education, they get FREE healthcare and basically sponge off the government, all at taxpayers expense. This leaves them enough money to send home, so their families can pay medical bills and school fees? Does anyone else think something is wrong with this picture?

Exactly until this has a minus then something is not going right!

300 billion! What a shame this money is not being spent in our country, does our congress take a stupid pill as soon as they open their eyes in the morning?

The amount of remittances is not as important as how they are being spent. In the existing situation most goes to buying better food and clothes which recipients create less of for themselves. Durable expenditure tends to be modern houses a form of consumption which in turn needs maintenance. More money is spent on paying coyotes than sustainable improvement to the place of legal residence. The remittances money sent by immigrants should be put into acquiring productive assets and not consumption.

Yes, they get to work, pay no payroll taxes, get free food, healthcare, have to purchase no auto insurance, free breakfasts and lunches for their kids, free education, housing sometiems, don't have to worry about many of our pesky little laws we must contend with every day.

You know it isn't just the freebies from taxpayers, but many, many churches still give them food, clothing and sometimes pay their rent, if they give them enough sob stories.

I mean what's not to love. America is the 'land of opportunity' for them.
I mean to them, the streets are paved with gold.

Now we know why Calderon and Vicente Fox are crying ... they can't line their Swiss bank accounts as much as before. Oh well. More for America!