Net Migration Falls to Zero- and Perhaps Less.


This article talks about the simple fact that migration from Mexico to the United States has decreased rapidly over the past five years, and simply states that the decline is a result of  "many factors, including the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings, the long-term decline in Mexico’s birth rates and broader economic conditions in Mexico".  These factors are no doubt all to blame, but the major factors that have changed in the past five years (SEE GRAPH), the year of huge decline, are the economy and policy on immigration.

The economy has been effecting migration for decades, as the need for workers fluctuates according to need. However, since 2010 when the US economy has been looking up, the number of migrants has continued to decline even though the demand for labor has increased. This is no doubt because of policy on immigration. It makes sense that no more than before the risk is greatest to enter the US illegally, and often even legally, as many migrants come to the US and stay past their visas allow, and face deportation by ICE, who has a goal number of migrants to deport per year. 

The thing I do not understand is that even if you are a hater of people, especially migrants, is how you can just ignore the needs of our economy and the needs it has for labor in order to continue to grow and boom. (I am not a people hater, so I do not agree with that stance, but want to make the point that people who are so harsh about immigration are just too stubborn and need to be kicked out of office.) The ultimate result of this huge decline in migrant, on the side of labor, is that the economy is going to suffer without this cheap labor that we rely so heavily on and that we have relied on for decades. 

In conclusion, immigration policy needs to change, if no other reason that for the economy. But also because people are people, and we, as a nation, need to get over the fear that our white-ness will slowly become obsolete.