US migrant laws hit cash sent to Mexico
By Richard Lapper in São Paulo
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/42cad9ee-45cf-1 ... fd2ac.html
Published: August 8 2007 22:37 | Last updated: August 8 2007 22:37

Legal restrictions targeting illegal immigrants have contributed to a sharp fall-off in the remittances sent to Mexico from a number of US states, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

The survey, commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank, shows that Mexicans living in southern and other US states without a strong tradition of Latin American immigration – such as Louisiana, North Carolina and Georgia – are feeling uneasy about the future.

These states have also seen a recent surge in legislation increasing penalties for those who employ illegals and making it more difficult for migrants to obtain driving licences and other documentation, for example.

Only about half the almost 2m Mexicans in these so-called “newâ€