Mexican Immigrants Stay Put, Despite Recession

The recession hasn’t sped the return of Mexican immigrants home from the US, a Pew report finds, though the number of Mexicans entering the US has continued to decline. Some 433,000 people returned to Mexico last year, versus 479,000 two years before, the Washington Post reports. But another 636,000 entered the US last year, down from 1.03 million two years before.

“People are essentially staying put at both ends," notes an expert. "They're basically riding out the storm." Why? “The monetary cost of getting into the United States, and the danger, have increased," says another analyst. "People who have already spent the money and taken the risk ... might try to stay here and ride it out rather than spend the money to go back to Mexico and try again at a later date." About eight of 10 are thought to be undocumented. (More Mexico stories.)