The US recession and stricter law enforcement are keeping many Hispanics from coming.
By Brian Whitley
The Christian Science Monitor
December 30, 2008
The economic downturn – along with more aggressive enforcement – is reducing the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States.
Not only are fewer people – mostly Hispanics – slipping into the United States, they're getting fewer jobs. New data shows that Latino participation in the labor force – normally among the highest – has dropped along with a decline in new arrivals.
"The picture has definitely changed," says Randy Katz, a demographer at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, though he cautions that it's too early to say whether the changes are permanent. "Unauthorized Hispanic immigrants are fairly responsive to job markets."
Tougher enforcement and the construction of a new border fence may also be playing a role. The number of illegal aliens removed or returned home this year rose 20 percent compared with a year ago, according to a Department of Homeland Security statement. There was also a 27 percent increase in arrests made while raiding workplaces by the US Immigration and Customs.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1230/p03s07-usgn.html
