"The majority of illegal immigrants in Mexico come not from Central America, but from the US."

[pampango]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/mexico/100916/migrants-illegal-immigration

Many undocumented Americans arrive not knowing how long they’ll stay, don’t get the appropriate papers and end up in the country illegally, said Mexican immigration agent Beatrice Amparo Perez Alatorre.

But what the reports don’t address is that these travelers (migrants, many in transit to the U.S.) dealing with abuses are a small number of the total illegal immigrant population in Mexico. Experts suggest the percentages by home country may mirror those of legal foreign-born residents. Some 70 percent of legal foreign-born Mexicans come from the U.S. The next largest number, about 5 percent, hail from Guatemala.

Pieces in U.S. media from the Washington Times to the Concord Monitor have inaccurately claimed that Mexico’s policy is to jail and deport those found to be illegally in the country.

But rather than deporting people who don’t have authorization to be in the country, there is a process for “regularizing” these immigrants. According the law, said Perez, illegal immigrants are “never” arrested and sent to jail unless they have committed a crime in Mexico or in their home countries. Once foreigners have been living in Mexico legally for five years, they can become citizens.

Though (Barbara) Rudd (an American "illegal immigrant") says she has gone through the process legally, those who are in the country illegally and later decide they want to become citizens have little to fear. If it is discovered someone is living in the country without the appropriate documents, as long as they have not committed a crime they are required to pay a fine and then can begin the process of regularization to get on track to citizenship.

[FreakinDJ]

1. Sorry that is just BULL SHIT

Mexican authorities have a long and well documented history of robbing and beating poor illegal immigrants

They only allow Westerners there to "Legalize" IF they are bringing enough money into the country

[izquierdista]

2. Poor, yes. Rich, no.

Sure, Guatemalans get the shaft, but the article is about "undocumented" Americans and they are treated rather well. I should know, I was one for a while. I knew many other Americans down there, and while a few had gone through the process and had their FM-3, many hadn't and it was never cause to fear the authorities. It was more like "you'll have to work on that some day". In the end, if you get hassled a lot, it is easier to pay the $100 and get your paperwork together than it is to keep paying the mordida when confronted about it.