10% of Mexico now in U.S.A.

[Clarkie1]

Washington -- The current migration of Mexicans and Central Americans to the United States is one of the largest diasporas in modern history, experts say.

Roughly 10 percent of Mexico's population of about 107 million is now living in the United States, estimates show. About 15 percent of Mexico's labor force is working in the United States. One in every 7 Mexican workers migrates to the United States.

<snip>

Three-quarters of the estimated 12 million illegal migrants in the United States come from Mexico and Central America. Mexicans make up 56 percent of the unauthorized U.S. migrant population, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Another 22 percent come from elsewhere in Latin America, mainly Central America and the Andean countries. These same countries send many of the half-million new illegal immigrants who arrive each year.

Migration is profoundly altering Mexico and Central America. Entire rural communities are nearly bereft of working-age men. The town of Tendeparacua, in the Mexican state of Michoacan, had 6,000 residents in 1985, and now has 600, according to news reports. In five Mexican states, the money migrants send home exceeds locally generated income, one study found.

Last year, Mexico received a record $20 billion in remittances from migrant workers. That is equal to Mexico's 2004 income from oil exports and dwarfing tourism revenue.

<snip>

The money Mexican migrants send home almost equals the U.S. foreign aid budget for the entire world, said Arturo Valenzuela, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University and former head of Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.

More at link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/21/MNGFQIVNAF1.DTL&type=politics
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[MichiganVote]

1. I wonder about the following too...

"Given the predominance of Mexicans and Central Americans in illegal immigration to the United States, Papademetriou wonders why the Senate's guest worker program would be open to all comers, if it is intended to provide temporary workers for the U.S. market."

[Clarkie1]

2. The U.S. senate seldom behaves in a logical fashion. n/t

[MichiganVote]

4. Oh they're logical alright--for anything that suits them

[rodeodance]

3. very interesting perspective. I had not thought of this.

.....works more to trap them in the United States, many believe.

[MikeNearMcChord]

5. Honest Question, not a troll

But why isn't there plans to tax some of the money, that is being transfered? I mean if the migrants are using the hospitals, schools and other public facilities, should some of that money transfered be taxed, to fund the facilities?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. They're taxed with every purchase, sans food.

[Nicole]

11. Some states tax food also n/t

[Asgaya Dihi]

10. They hit both sides

In some cases they do use programs that they don't pay for, but an awful lot of them have also been working under a fake SSN so paying into a system they'll never get benefits from. There's a fair sized unclaimed reserve that might end up being what holds the social security system together one day. That's a gift from them we don't hear much about, it's all about the costs they inflict.

If there's an imbalance it's probably a lot smaller than it seems at first.

[Ksec]

6. So this 12 million new illegals is the population of Ohio

Think about that one for a while.

An entire state. And Ohio is a big state.

[leftofthedial]

7. every spring break we return the favor

[DBoon]

15. No! Mexican immigrants do hard productive labor!

nt

[Jigarotta]

9. how much does the 1percenters own of the world? nt

[UTUSN]

12. Unlike billions of $$$$$$$$$$$ in Mexico n/t

[lovuian]

13. Lets think of an army with 12 million soldiers

thats quite impressive...

especially when we have a president who swore to protect our borders...

[DBoon]

14. What percent of Irish lived in the US in 1840?

I'd bet it was likely close to 10%, even given they had an ocean to cross.