The Development and Fiscal Effects of Emigration on Mexico By Raymundo Campos-Vazquez and Horacio Sobarzo
The economic consequences of emigration on migrants’ countries of origin have long been studied, yet the precise assessment of positive and negative impacts remains complex. This analysis finds that when the labor market effects and household income benefits of remittances are compiled into a model of the Mexican economy, Mexico’s fiscal balance appears to benefit from emigration – its GDP rising by 8.8 percent and tax collection by 7.4 percent. Download Report
PROJECT OVERVIEW More than any issue, migration shapes and defines the US relationship with Mexico and, increasingly, much of Central America. Thus, getting migration and the issues that fuel and surround it right is vital to the region’s long-term stability, prosperity, and its competitiveness in a fast-changing and unforgiving global economy. Yet, there are no systematic conversations about what a collaborative, regional approach to these issues might look like. The Migration Policy Institute and the Latin American Program/Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will fill that void by convening a three-year Regional Migration Study Group - consisting of two dozen former officials, civil-society leaders, policy intellectuals, and specialists in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and co-chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and former Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein. Senior government officials from throughout the region also are involved in the Study Group as observers, and will be briefed on its work at appropriate intervals.
Ernesto Zedillo, Former Mexican President and Secretary of Education; Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
... Carlos Gutierrez, Former US Secretary of Commerce; Vice Chairman, Institutional Clients Group, Citigroup Inc.
... Eduardo Stein, Former Vice President and Foreign Minister of Guatemala; Coordinator, Truth Commission of Honduras.
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DIRECTORS
Demetrios Papademetriou, President, Migration Policy Institute; Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Migration.
... Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, MPI; former Commissioner, US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
... Andrew Selee, Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.
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MEMBERS
Hugo Beteta, Former Guatemalan Minister of Finance and Minister of Planning.
... Luís de la Calle, Former Mexican Undersecretary of International Trade Negotiations.
... Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, Former Governor of the Mexican State of Michoacán; Senior Fellow, Washington Office on Latin America.
... John Coatsworth, Dean, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.
... Antonia Hernández, President and CEO, California Community Foundation.
... James Jones, Former US Ambassador to Mexico; former Chairman and CEO of the American Stock Exchange.
... Santiago Levy, Former Deputy Finance Minister for Mexico.
... Monica Lozano, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, La Opinión.
... Jorge Madrazo Cuellar, Former Mexican Attorney General.
... Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union.
... Diana Natalicio, President, University of Texas - El Paso.
... John Negroponte, Former US Deputy Secretary of State; former Director of National Intelligence; and former Ambassador to Mexico, Honduras, the Philippines.
... Rogelio Ramírez de la O, Economist and Director, Ecanal, S.A, in Mexico.
... Andrés Rozental, Former Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister.
... Luís Rubio, Chairman, Center of Research for Development in Mexico; weekly columnist, Reforma.
... Jim Ziglar, Former Commissioner, US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS); MPI Senior Fellow.
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US Immigration Policy since 9/11: Understanding the Stalemate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform By Marc R. Rosenblum
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks derailed what had seemed to be a turning point in US immigration policy: A move away from the assertive enforcement policies that had held sway since the mid-1990s. But just days after the US and Mexican presidents had agreed to a framework that included a temporary worker program, legalization, and new border security measures, 9/11 dramatically reshaped the policy debate. This report reviews the history of immigration legislation since then, including new enforcement mandates enacted immediately after the attacks and the unsuccessful efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Download Report
US Immigration Policy and Mexican/Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now
By Marc R. Rosenblum and Kate Brick
Migration from Mexico and Central America’s “Northern Triangle” region (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) to the United States has increased significantly in the past four decades, from less than 1 million immigrants in the 1970s to 14 million today. Propelled by difficult economic and social conditions at home, massive opportunity differentials, and strengthening social networks, these regional migration flows have been shaped by evolving policies and practices. This report examines the push-and-pull factors of migration in the region from three major migration periods: the mostly laissez faire policies prior to the 1930s, the large-scale Bracero temporary worker program before and after World War II, and the mostly illegal system that emerged after the Bracero Program’s end in 1964. Download Report
Evolving Demographic and Human-Capital Trends in Mexico and Central America This report, by authors Aaron Terrazas, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, and Marc R. Rosenblum assesses the implications for regional migration resulting from the rapidly evolving demographic and human-capital profiles of Mexico and Central America as well as the longstanding shifts in the US economy and labor market that were accelerated by the recent economic crisis. Taken together, these changes mean that policymakers can no longer rely on the conventional wisdom about regional labor mobility. Download Report | Press Release
Mexican and Central American Immigrants in the United States The Mexican and Central American immigrant population in the United States has increased by a factor of 20 since 1970 — a period during which the overall US immigrant population increased four-fold. This report examines the age, educational, and workforce characteristics of immigrants and the second generation from Mexico and Central America, finding that these immigrants are younger, more likely to be male, and more likely to be married with children than the US born or other immigrant groups. A high proportion are unauthorized, with key implications for their economic and social status and the overall immigration debate. Download Report
Resources
Immigrants
Mexican Immigrants in the United States: Mexican immigrants have claimed the top spot among all immigrant groups in the United States since the 1980 census. In 2008, the country's 11.4 million Mexican immigrants accounted for 30.1 percent of all US immigrants and 10 percent of all Mexicans. A look at their socioeconomic characteristics, where they live, and the size of the Mexican-born unauthorized population.
Central American Immigrants in the United States: The 2.9 million Central American immigrants living in the United States were more likely than both the native born and the foreign-born population overall to be of working age and to be participating in the US labor force. An examination of the population's size, geographic distribution, and demographic characteristics.
Version en espanol, aqui.
El Salvador: Despite End to Civil War, Emigration Continues: Thousands of Salvadorans fled the country during its civil war in the 1980s, many of them to the United States. The government is focused on engaging its diaspora but also must deal with immigrants from neighboring countries and issues around human trafficking. Country page.
Guatemala: Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees: Guatemala's long civil war, which spurred large flows of refugees, has given way to high levels of economic migration to the United States and an economy more dependent on remittances. Also, Guatemala’s geography has made it a prime transit country for migrants headed north. Country page.
