WASHINGTON (AP) _ An analysis shows the economic meltdown has produced a sharp reduction in the number of Mexican immigrants crossing the border into the United States.
Apparently deterred by rising unemployment, immigration from Mexico is at its lowest level in a decade.
The analysis of census data from both the U.S. and Mexican governments is being released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center. It highlights the impact of the economic downturn on Mexican immigrants, many of whom enter the United States illegally.
The study found that immigrants arriving from Mexico fell by 249,000 from March 2008 to March 2009. That’s down nearly 60 percent from the previous year.
Pew’s Jeffrey Passel says many immigrants already in the U.S. are staying, betting the economy will improve and perhaps hoping that immigration reform could soon pave the way for U.S. citizenship.