As US Economy Sours, Some Immigrants Return South

[brandymac27]

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/news/stories/2008/10/24/economy_reverse_immigration.html?cxtype=ybuzz

SAN DIEGO — After struggling just to pay his $300 monthly rent and send money to his wife and two children back in Honduras, Dionisio Urbina has given up. The day laborer is saving for a one-way plane ticket home.


“I lost hope about finding work,” the 54-year-old illegal immigrant said outside a Home Depot (http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/topcompanies/index.html?cxntlid=linkr) store as he entered his fourth straight week without a job. “I’m homesick. It’s best to leave.”


Thousands of Latin American immigrants both legal and illegal are going back home as the economic crisis in the U.S. causes jobs to dry up in the construction, landscaping and restaurant industries.


The flow of immigrants back across the border tends to be cyclical, with many people going back home for the Christmas holidays. But some authorities say they are seeing a bigger-than-usual reverse-immigration effect this year.


Mexico City’s municipal government predicts between 20,000 and 30,000 immigrants above the usual number will return from the U.S. in the next few months because they cannot find work.


Mexican consulates in California and Chicago report that around 4,000 more Mexican immigrants than usual have already left for Mexico City because of the economic crisis.


There are other signs the U.S. is no longer the magnet it was a few years ago, when the economy was thriving and the housing boom produced plenty of work:


— Fewer immigrants are getting caught crossing U.S. borders illegally. The Border Patrol said it made 723,825 apprehensions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, down 18 percent from last year and down 39 percent from nearly 1.2 million in 2005.


— Immigrants are sending less money home. Remittances by Mexicans living in the United States registered their biggest drop in August since record-keeping began 12 years ago. Mexico’s central bank said they fell 12 percent from August 2007.


With an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., the number returning home is relatively small.


The vast majority of Mexican immigrants who have lived in the U.S. a few years will stay put because the job prospects are far worse back home and they have family in this country, said Wayne Cornelius, director of the University of California, San Diego’s Center for Comparative Immigration Studies.


“They would be condemning themselves to a lower standard of living,” Cornelius said.


Karina Corona, who came to the U.S. on a fake passport in 1995, is struggling to make ends meet but said she won’t go home to Culiacan, Mexico, because there is no work there and her hometown is a hotbed of drug violence.


The single mother had to quit a second job as a seamstress to care for her children, leaving her to live on about $1,500 a month as a delicatessen cashier. She stopped taking graphic design classes at a San Diego community college and fell behind on rent.


But Mexico “would be even worse than here,” said Corona, 34. “We’re going to stick it out.”


At a day laborer site in Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles, Juan Pacheco, 48, said he planned to return to Oaxaca, Mexico, in January, about two years after he came north to work construction. On an earlier stint in the U.S., he sent home $200 a week to his wife and children and bought a house in Mexico, where his family grows corn and beans.


Pacheco has worked only one or two days a week in the past year, barely enough for food and the $200 monthly rent. His voice cracks when he talks about phone calls to his 5-year-old daughter.


“She says she doesn’t remember me, that she wants me to go home so she can meet me,” he said.


Ramon Lopez has lived north of the border for 36 years, working in hotels and restaurants. But he recently returned to Mexico with his wife and mother-in-law because he could not find work or pay his bills.


“I had my lows, I had my highs, but ultimately, things have become critical,” he said in Tijuana. “There’s too much pressure for the rent, for food, for transportation.”

[APBT]

Blame it on Lou Dobbs, not the economy.

[DeanCollins]

maybe some of the gop base could leave with them. :laugh:
I mean they are so high on giving corporation tax breaks , overseas jobs and all maybe they should work offshore as well. Pick up a few extra bucks transporting the reimigrants ;)

It will be nice to see less immigrants out in front of the box stores. We don't have any of that here but I was shocked when I drove through Annandale last year. There must have been 200 of them trying to flag anyone driving a pickup truck down.

[Monte51Coleman]

Quick, build a wall, we need to keep the cheap labor here.

[DeanCollins]

Quick, build a wall, we need to keep the cheap labor here.

:laugh::laugh:

[BigMike619]

you wouldnt even notice this is happening in SD. they are still lined up by the dozens and stare at you like crackheads when you need to go get materials for the job. what really pisses me off though is the cops will just drive by and not do a daggone thing. not even ask for ID.

[Koolblue13]

maybe some of the gop base could leave with them. :laugh:
I mean they are so high on giving corporation tax breaks , overseas jobs and all maybe they should work offshore as well. Pick up a few extra bucks transporting the reimigrants ;)

It will be nice to see less immigrants out in front of the box stores. We don't have any of that here but I was shocked when I drove through Annandale last year. There must have been 200 of them trying to flag anyone driving a pickup truck down.

Right, because illegal immigration and jobs going over seas is a Republican issue.

That Bill Clinton did a bang up job keeping companies here. :OLS:

[brandymac27]

you wouldnt even notice this is happening in SD. they are still lined up by the dozens and stare at you like crackheads when you need to go get materials for the job. what really pisses me off though is the cops will just drive by and not do a daggone thing. not even ask for ID.


One of the big time general contractors here hired a bunch of illegals to do some construction work him. He had them work for a week, and when they met him to go and pick up their money for working, the GC had the INS people waiting to pick them up. He did this for a couple of months. He basically got a **** load of work done for free, and at the same time had a bunch of illegal immigrants deported at the same time.

[Fred Jones]

One of the big time general contractors here hired a bunch of illegals to do some construction work him. He had them work for a week, and when they met him to go and pick up their money for working, the GC had the INS people waiting to pick them up. He did this for a couple of months. He basically got a **** load of work done for free, and at the same time had a bunch of illegal immigrants deported at the same time.

Interesting use of the INS. A moral question for the class.

[brandymac27]

Interesting use of the INS. A moral question for the class.


Honestly, I have major issues with illegal immigrants. It wouldn't bother me if they were all deported. It may be best for me to just STFU about this particular issue.

[DeanCollins]

Right, because illegal immigration and jobs going over seas is a Republican issue.



when they reward those corporations with tax breaks, yes. so republicans are against illegal immigration now? gee I thought that all those big businesses needed cheap labor, why would they be against that ;)

[SkinsHokieFan]

Honestly, I have major issues with illegal immigrants. It wouldn't bother me if they were all deported. It may be best for me to just STFU about this particular issue.

Why such an issue?

All these people generally want to do is come here and work, not bother anyone, and try and make it

I have never understood why we can't find some sort of a compromise on this

[BigMike619]

One of the big time general contractors here hired a bunch of illegals to do some construction work him. He had them work for a week, and when they met him to go and pick up their money for working, the GC had the INS people waiting to pick them up. He did this for a couple of months. He basically got a **** load of work done for free, and at the same time had a bunch of illegal immigrants deported at the same time.

they were doing that for a long time in the union my father worked at. the GC can be arrested for that now and it is a crime.

[BigMike619]

Why such an issue?

All these people generally want to do is come here and work, not bother anyone, and try and make it

I have never understood why we can't find some sort of a compromise on this

the compromise is this: go thru the proper paperwork to get a visa or green card just like the rest of the immigrants who are coming here to work hard and prosper. dont try to cheat the system or jump ahead in line.

[SkinsHokieFan]

the compromise is this: go thru the proper paperwork to get a visa or green card just like the rest of the immigrants who are coming here to work hard and prosper. dont try to cheat the system or jump ahead in line.

I understand

But lets be honest. People need the jobs (the workers) and people need to hire (the companies here)

Now if we are willing to pay painters 35 dollars an hour, well then we'll make people wait 12 years to come to our country

A guest worker program that Bush was pushing in '06 is the best solution, along with better enforcement and fines

Having an "underclass" that has no legal rights, nor pays into our system is not a good thing

But kicking them all out is not practical

[#98QBKiller]

the compromise is this: go thru the proper paperwork to get a visa or green card just like the rest of the immigrants who are coming here to work hard and prosper. dont try to cheat the system or jump ahead in line.


Exactly.

[Tastes Like Chicken]

Maybe we ****ed our economy intentionally, to deal with the immigration issue. :silly:

[Monte51Coleman]

The compromise should be legal immigration.

[SkinsHokieFan]

The compromise should be legal immigration.

Agree. So what the heck do we do with all of them here now?

[brandymac27]

the compromise is this: go thru the proper paperwork to get a visa or green card just like the rest of the immigrants who are coming here to work hard and prosper. dont try to cheat the system or jump ahead in line.


I'll be damned. We actually agree on something. The end of the world is coming...

[BigMike619]

Maybe we ****ed our economy intentionally, to deal with the immigration issue. :silly:

you mean Obama is going to raise my taxes to deal with immigrants? :silly:

bastard!! :cheers:

[Monte51Coleman]

Agree. So what the heck do we do with all of them here now?

I would not be at all opposed to finding a solution that would work the current in-country illegals into the system.

To do so without first having a solid, functioning, strategy to stop the flow of new incoming illegals would be counter-productive.

We need to get control of our borders first.

[luckydevil]

the compromise is this: go thru the proper paperwork to get a visa or green card just like the rest of the immigrants who are coming here to work hard and prosper. dont try to cheat the system or jump ahead in line.

It is virtually impossible to legally immigrate to this country if you are a low skilled worker.

[SkinsHokieFan]

It is virtually impossible to legally immigrate to this country if you are a low skilled worker.

Thank you for adding that

With the amount of paperwork and fees involved, not only the fact that we don't like "turd world" rif raf, legally immigrating if you are not a doctor is nearly impossible

[PokerPacker]

One of the big time general contractors here hired a bunch of illegals to do some construction work him. He had them work for a week, and when they met him to go and pick up their money for working, the GC had the INS people waiting to pick them up. He did this for a couple of months. He basically got a **** load of work done for free, and at the same time had a bunch of illegal immigrants deported at the same time.

what a ****ing *******.

[BigMike619]

It is virtually impossible to legally immigrate to this country if you are a low skilled worker.

how do you figure that?

my old boss came from ireland as a unemployed guy, ended up in texas and moved to san diego where he got a job as a carpenter. he built his business up from there and now runs his own cabinet shot.

its NOT virtually impossible, its that people are more likely to take the easy way out instead of working for what they want.

[ACW]

One of the big time general contractors here hired a bunch of illegals to do some construction work him. He had them work for a week, and when they met him to go and pick up their money for working, the GC had the INS people waiting to pick them up. He did this for a couple of months. He basically got a **** load of work done for free, and at the same time had a bunch of illegal immigrants deported at the same time.How douchy :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:


It is virtually impossible to legally immigrate to this country if you are a low skilled worker.


how do you figure that?

my old boss came from ireland as a unemployed guy, ended up in texas and moved to san diego where he got a job as a carpenter. he built his business up from there and now runs his own cabinet shot.

its NOT virtually impossible, its that people are more likely to take the easy way out instead of working for what they want.Look at this (from here (http://www.reason.com/blog/show/128999.html)): http://www.reason.com/images/07cf533ddb1d06350cf1ddb5942ef5ad.jpg

[BigMike619]

ok, so its hard to get in here and become a citizen. deal with it!! if you wanna be a part of the greatest nation in the world you will do what you have to do. If it was easy then everyone would be here. nothing says that they cant be here on visas while they are waiting to become citizens.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

So basically the chart tells me that I need to marry all the illegal immigrant women?

[brandymac27]

I just think it's unfair that some people actually follow the requirements, as difficult as they may be- like waiting X number of years and paying fee's etc, while others try to avoid all of this and do it the easy way. It's just not right that some people are avoiding the proper process, and yet aren't being reprimanded for it (at least if they are, I don't see it).

[SkinsHokieFan]

ACW that is an EXCELLENT chart

Thank you for that. I have had plenty of family go through the process, and many of the guys who work for me constantly working through that process

[luckydevil]

ok, so its hard to get in here and become a citizen. deal with it!! if you wanna be a part of the greatest nation in the world you will do what you have to do. If it was easy then everyone would be here. nothing says that they cant be here on visas while they are waiting to become citizens.

Once again, it's beyond difficult to get a visa. I wish immigration opponents would drop the the whole legal vs illegal argument and just admit that they oppose immigration.

[stat2883]

I spend about 50% of my work time in Mexico (border towns, or down in Mexico City). I don't fault illegal immigrants one bit. The Mexican government doesn't make it easy, then after they get past that they have to deal with our government, which was nicely laid out in that cartoon flow chart.

[Shilsu]

I think we should spend more resources on keeping illegal immigrants out rather than trying to deport the ones who have already been living in America for a while. There was an article in the Washington Post a month ago about how even when we detain illegal immigrants, they often get lost in detention centers and their cases are misplaced, thus further draining our tax dollars.