Fixing Immigration By Fixing Mexico

by Patrick Appel

Damien Cave's article focuses on the slowing of immigration from Mexico to the US. He says that "expanding economic and educational opportunities, border crime and shrinking families — are suppressing illegal traffic as much as economic slowdowns or immigrant crackdowns in the United States." Elsewhere Cave answers readers questions:

It is true that people crossing for work are inevitable when wages in the United States are higher than in Mexico, which is still the case. But it’s the differential that seems to matter more than actual unemployment rates. As this study from 2005 noted, most Mexican immigrants give up jobs at home to leave for the United States. The stereotype of jobless Americans heading north seems to be just that — a stereotype that doesn’t get at the underlying nuances of the situation.