Better Lives for Mexicans Cut Allure of Going North

[Derechos]

AGUA NEGRA, Mexico — The extraordinary Mexican migration that delivered millions of illegal immigrants to the United States over the past 30 years has sputtered to a trickle, and research points to a surprising cause: unheralded changes in Mexico that have made staying home more attractive.

A growing body of evidence suggests that a mix of developments — expanding economic and educational opportunities, rising border crime and shrinking families — are suppressing illegal traffic as much as economic slowdowns or immigrant crackdowns in the United States.

Here in the red-earth highlands of Jalisco, one of Mexico’s top three states for emigration over the past century, a new dynamic has emerged. For a typical rural family like the Orozcos, heading to El Norte without papers is no longer an inevitable rite of passage. Instead, their homes are filling up with returning relatives; older brothers who once crossed illegally are awaiting visas; and the youngest Orozcos are staying put.

“I’m not going to go to the States because I’m more concerned with my studies,” said Angel Orozco, 18. Indeed, at the new technological institute where he is earning a degree in industrial engineering, all the students in a recent class said they were better educated than their parents — and that they planned to stay in Mexico rather than go to the United States.


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/06/world/americas/immigration.html?hp

[Judi Lynn]

1. Interesting article. Didn't know there had been this much change.

Hope the momentum will increase. Everyone deserves a chance, or there's no democracy at all.

Thank you, Derechos.

[bemildred]

2. Plus things are not so good in El Norte. nt

[sonias]

3. Great read

Thanks for the link.

Way to go Mexico! Education is the key. Keep it going. :applause:

[Vogon_Glory]

4. I Wonder What Sorts Of Migrants Gringo-landia Would Produce

I occasionally wonder what sorts of migrant labor that the US could produce should the Repugs succeed in turning the US into a Third World country. Would the sorts of desperate Americans seeking work in Europe have the educational skills to do more than mop floors and pick apples? Would our "all-Amurrican" "Make-'em-learn-English" attitude slow down the go-getters and reformed-attitude migrants to learn at least some of the lingo of their host countries?

Mind you, I'm a white Anglo Saxon, and I admire the toughness of my 19th-century ancestors. But I suspect that the the Baby Boomers and succeeding generations are burdened with a large population of "know-nuthin'" dumber-than-rocks wimps.