Immigration Drops by 40%

A new study by the Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) estimates that migration by undocumented Mexicans has dropped by 40% along the border because of the economic downturn in the United States. In a news report about the study, El Diario in Juárez noted that the investigators found that migration through the Juárez region has dropped by 50%. Apparently, U.S. border security measures in the urban area dissuade many Mexicans from trying to cross in the urban area. COLEF investigator Rodolfo Rubio Salas said that an estimated 700,000 Mexican tried to cross the border illegally in 2007, dropping to 500,000 in 2008. According to Rubio, declining migration has been evident for more than a year but the decrease has been dramatic in the past few months.