Mexican Immigration Retreating

It was recently noted in the Los Angeles Times that fewer Mexican immigrants are migrating to the United States and several are finding their way back to the country. The reason for such a strange shift in migration patterns can be the result of the decline in job opportunities in the United States. As discussed in lecture, the cost and benefits of migrating to the United States were made before the move took place. This is interesting to examine because in the past during the late eighteenth century, it was extremely costly for individuals to migrate followed by cheaper and more efficient methods of travel. Currently, we might be returning to reduced illegal immigration due to high costs of migration as seen with fewer Mexican migrants moving because of heavier opportunity costs associated with migration. The cost associated with just getting across the border illegally and the accumulated living expenses afterwards with uncertainty (or no possibility) of job opportunities would certainly limit the number of Mexican migrants moving north. The tighter border enforcement and the hassle to reach a jobless United States at the cost of time and money become discouraging factors. It becomes then more favorable to remain in Mexico where the bare minimum to survive is relatively better compared to that of living in the United States.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-migration-20111115,0,6585941.story