Thread: Hurricanes south of border could spur migration

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Hurricanes south of border could spur migration, experts say
November 04,2005
Victoria Hirschberg
The Monitor


It is possible many Mexicans may make their way to the U.S. border in search of jobs and housing because of the three hurricanes that ravaged parts of southern Mexico and Central America this season, some academic and labor analysts predict.

During the active 2005 hurricane season that ends Nov. 30, hurricanes Stan, Wilma and Beta caused flooding and mudslides and killed thousands of people in regions such as Chiapas, Veracruz and Honduras. The U.S. State Department has issued a public announcement urging U.S citizens to reconsider travel plans due to extensive damage in the Yucatán Peninsula and southeastern Mexico, including the popular tourist cities of Cancún and Cozumel.

Mexican President Vicente Fox has promised aid for the rebuilding process and to stimulate the nation’s economy, but some say that might not keep people from migrating north to border cities like Reynosa and Ciudad Juárez, or those in the United States.

"I think the devastation in Central America, really reinforced in Nicaragua and Honduras, will probably spark another movement of people up here," said history professor Tony Knopp at the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. "There is a strong impression that economic setbacks, even if they are of natural phenomenon, tend to spark a new wave of people coming here."

Tracking how many people head to the United States because of hurricanes is difficult because most likely they enter illegally, Knopp said.

Earlier this week, while Fox visited Chiapas â€â€

When I saw the headline Hurricanes south of border could spur migration, experts say , I was hoping the migration might be spurred south this time. Shucks!