Money From America Running Dry
“Either there was no work or they did not want to hire somebody without papers”
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. After years of strong increases, the amount of migrant money flowing to Mexico has stagnated. Migrants and migration experts say a flagging American economy and an enforcement campaign against illegal workers in the United States have persuaded some migrants not to try to cross the border illegally to look for work. Some have returned to Mexico and many of those who are staying in the United States are sending less money home.
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. The construction slump — along with a year-old crackdown on illegal immigration at the border and in the workplace, and mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in places — has made it even harder for Mexican migrants to reach the United States and land well-paying jobs. New walls, new guards and new equipment at the border have dissuaded many from trying to cross and raised the cost for those who try to as much as $2,800. Workplace raids and stories of summary deportations stoke fears among Mexicans on both sides of the border.
With those prospects, the next generation (some of them as young as 15) seemed to have few doubts about heading to the United States. “It’s really tough to go back,” says one worker . “Now they lock you up. Before, they grabbed you and sent you back. The laws were never this tough.”
