Trends Reverse in Continental Immigration

Posted on May 25, 2012 by VISANOW

By Colleen Niland, Customer Support Specialist

 

People who are familiar with immigration will tell you how complex the subject can be, but when asking most people what they associate with immigration, a few general things come to mind: border patrol officers, deportations, and visas. Oddly enough, a combination of these exact factors is what has led to a significant drop in Mexican citizens immigrating to the United States, which was previously the largest source of immigrants within the U.S. Currently, 30% of all immigrants living within the U.S. were born in Mexico, which starkly contrasts to the 5% from the next leading country, China. From 1995 to 2000, roughly 2,940,000 citizens emigrated from Mexico. Between 2005 to 2010 the number dropped to a startling 1,370,000.

In contrast, the number of Mexican nationals moving back to their home country rose over the past five years to 1.4 million, meaning the migration trend seems to have actually reversed. Although it is difficult to calculate, data from both governments indicates that in between 5% and 35% of emigrants were forcibly removed from the U.S. Today, 51% of Mexican nationals living in the U.S. are unauthorized, and the progressively rigorous immigration rulings seem to be responsible for the drop in numbers.

A rise in border patrol over the past five years takes the majority of the responsibility, lowering the number of unauthorized immigrants attempting to cross from 1 million to 286,000 since 2005. Unsurprisingly, with apprehensions at the U.S. border at a significant decline, the number of deportations has risen to 282,000. In 2005, 7% of returning Mexicans alleged that they would not try and return to the U.S. while in 2010, this number shot up to 20%. Many attribute this to the feeble U.S. job and construction markets, a decline of birth rates in Mexico, and the economic conditions of their home country.

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