12/21/12
Three in 10 immigrants (30%) in the U.S. were born in Mexico, according to the Pew Research Center. By the end of 2011, the net rate of immigration from Mexico had dropped to zero, for the first time in more than 40 years. The total population of Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. decreased from a peak of 12.6 million in 2007 to 12.0 million at the end of 2011. [Net immigration is the sum of immigrants moving into the U.S. from Mexico, after taking into account both people coming to the U.S. and those returning to Mexico after having lived in the U.S. -Ed.]
Several factors are affecting immigration from Mexico, including a weak U.S. job market (especially in housing construction), increased border security and deportations, a decline in birth rates in Mexico, and improving economic conditions in Mexico. The majority of Mexican immigrants currently living in the U.S. (51%) are unauthorized.
Immigration to the U.S. from Mexico peaked in 2000 and began to drop in 2007, as the U.S. economy moved toward recession. In addition to changes in net immigration, the overall pattern of immigration has shifted. Prior to 1970, a significant proportion of immigration from Mexico was temporary, fueled by people looking for seasonal agricultural work, and planning to return to Mexico at the end of the season. That pattern has continued to shift in the past decade.
In 2000, nearly half of Mexican emigrants (49%) had gone to the U.S. within the previous year, according to data cited from Mexico’s census. By 2010, that proportion had dropped to 27%.
Although the economies of both Mexico and the U.S. went into recession in the late 2000s, Mexico has experienced a stronger recovery since 2010 than the U.S. has during that time. Fewer than four in 10 Mexican adults (38%) said they would prefer to emigrate to the U.S. if given the opportunity, according to a Pew survey in 2011.
Source: “Net Migration From Mexico Falls To Zero – And Perhaps Less,”?April 2012, Pew Hispanic Center, Jeffrey Passel,?Senior Demographer, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-3600; info@pewhispanic.org; www.pewhispanic.org. Price: Available online at no charge.
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