Mexican Migrants

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Better Lives for Mexicans Cut Allure of Going North,” provides a penetrating analysis of a prominent issue in a way only The Times can do. Its three-page coverage observes the changes in dynamics between legal and illegal immigrants traveling to the United States.

Apparently, the flow of illegal immigration to the U.S. has slowed to a trickle. Surprisingly, the reason is not increased enforcement by border police or more stringent hiring practices by employers, but more opportunities in Mexico itself. The salary differential between the two countries, once as high as 10 to 1, is now a more manageable 3 to 1. Plus educational opportunities in Mexico have increased significantly with more than half of the students graduating from high school now going on to college, in Mexico. Delivery of basic services such as water, electricity and trash collection has also become more widespread.

And the United States has adopted more humane policies. In tandem with increased border enforcement, the U.S. has also made temporary worker visas (H-2A) more readily available, and it has opened the door to people who once immigrated illegally. That, combined with demographic factors, such as much smaller Mexican families, has changed the balance between illegal and legal immigration, to the benefit of both countries.