http://www.whas11.com/news/national/148558715.html Number of US illegal immigrants from Mexico drops
Credit: AP Migrants who were found in two trailer trucks bound for the United States, sit under the guard of a policeman in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, Tuesday May 17, 2011. Chiapas authorities say they rescued 513 migrants: 410 of the migrants were from Guatemala, 47 from El Salvador, 32 from Ecuador, 12 from India, six from Nepal, three from China and one each from Japan, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. (AP Photo/Alejandro Estrada) by AP WHAS11.com Posted on April 23, 2012 at 3:03 PM Related:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new study shows the number of Mexican immigrants living illegally in the U.S. has dropped significantly for the first time in decades. The figures represent a dramatic shift as many illegal workers, already in the U.S. and seeing few job opportunities, are returning to Mexico.
The analysis of census data from the U.S. and Mexican governments finds that roughly 6.1 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants were living in the U.S. last year. That's down from a peak of nearly 7 million in 2007.
The Pew Hispanic Center report attributed much of the drop to a weak U.S. economy, which has shrunk construction jobs attractive to Mexican workers. But increased deportations, heightened U.S. patrols and violence along the border as well as Mexico's declining birth rate, also have played a role.
