Irregular Immigration Down

Irregular immigration is down in the U.S. but experts disagree on why. Some argue that the decline in the economy has caused less migration into the U.S as the number of jobs has declined. Others argue that tight border control policies have been effective. The Migration Policy Institute states:

A Pew Hispanic Center report estimates that between 2005 and 2008, approximately 500,000 unauthorized immigrants entered the United States each year — 300,000 fewer than the 800,000 unauthorized immigrants Pew estimated for each year between 2000 and 2004. Similarly, reports released by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Bank of Mexico have found a drop in remittances to Latin America. According to the Bank of Mexico, Mexican immigrants living in the United States sent 12 percent less money to Mexico in August 2008 than they sent in August 2007 — the largest decline in remittances the bank has recorded in 12 years.