The time frame for our comparative analysis is from 1980 to present. 1980 is the year when Mexicans became the largest group of immigrants in USA. Till now, they still make up the lion’s share of the total number of illegal immigrants.
Push Factors in Mexico
Mexicans are not so much migrating to the USA than running from Mexico, and one of the push factors is violence in Mexico ranging from kidnapping and extortion cases to drug-related crimes, which creates a humanitarian crisis. Firstly, the crime rates in Mexico are extremely high, with homicide rates at approximately 10-14 per 100,000 people and world average of 10.9 per 100,000 (Jackson, n.d.). It is estimated that 47,500 people have been killed as a result of criminal violence since 2007 (Jackson, n.d.). This causes many Mexicans to flee from Mexico out of fear for their lives and migrate to USA in the hope that they will have a more stable life free from threats.
Secondly, the drug war is a significant reason for Mexicans to cross borders into USA. Before the early 1900s, the use of drugs was legal in the United States, until a series of laws made all drug use illegal. However, Americans ignored the new vice laws, leading to the setting up of black markets to supply people with drugs such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and marijuana (Redmond, 2013). The ban on drugs caused initial shortages which drastically boosted drug prices. The profits to be made ensured not only that the black markets would survive, but also that new suppliers would continue to supply them. Mexico’s proximity to the US made it an easy source, causing traffickers to rush from Mexico to supply the US with unlawful narcotics and alcohol. Therefore, as a result of Prohibition (of drugs), exports of Mexican opium, heroin and marijuana for US consumption increased dramatically. Mexico has also been a vital transit point along trafficking routes for drugs, especially cocaine, for decades. More than two thirds of the cocaine which originated in South America passes through Mexico (DEA, 1996, 2003) before entering the US, though it is only recently that Mexico became involved in the refining process and took a more active role in cocaine trafficking. To rid the country of illicit drugs and drug trafficking, the drug war started. The drug gangs, armed with military grade weapons such as grenade launchers, proved an equal match for Mexican soldiers and police. Drug cartel sicarios (assassins), the military and police have committed countless atrocities and violated human rights numerous times. The level of violence and slaughter is similar to typical warfare. In merely six years, an estimated 120,000 people have lost their lives, more than 20,000 people have vanished into thin air, and a quarter of a million have been displaced as a result of this drug-fueled brutality (Redmond, 2013). Entire towns and cities have turned into war zones full with military checkpoints and drug cartel roadblocks. Murder and robbery are now viewed as everyday occurrences. The war to stop illegal drugs and drug trafficking has been a grisly failure, resulting in a lot of blood spilled and Mexicans having to live their lives in constant worry for fear of being killed. Till today, Mexico remains a major exporter of heroin and marijuana and central transit point for cocaine bound for the US. Drugs cross the porous US-Mexican border far more easily than migrants seeking work in the US. The power of the drug cartels to kill, corrupt, and evade has grown exponentially as have their profits from illegal drug trafficking (Redmond, 2013). This causes Mexicans to cross the borders into US illegally and be in jails rather than remain in Mexico (Wolf, 2009).
Thirdly, youth gangs play a vital role in causing Mexicans, especially unaccompanied children, to migrate out of Mexico. Youth gangs, also known as street gangs, control local turf for extortion and drug distribution. They are involved in less profitable criminal activities than larger, more complicated groups that focus on drugs and arms trafficking and are more geographically distributed (Corcoran, 2013). The street gangs target adolescent boys for gang recruitment and threaten to kill them when they do not join. Adolescent girls are also targeted, and when they refuse they might be beaten or raped. The problem of street gangs is exacerbated by the explosion of Mexico’s drug war (Johnson, 2014), causing Mexicans to migrate to the US and seek for asylums, where they would be safer than at home. Even though the journey from Mexico to US is treacherous and filled with dangers like robbery, extortion and rapes in the case of girls, Mexicans would still migrate there without much hesitation. To them, they might get killed on the way to the US, but if they remain at home they would definitely get killed, so they would rather risk the dangers of migrating to the US than stay in Mexico (Johnson, 2014).
The second push factor is poverty, which is a big problem in Mexico. Many Mexican families are struggling to make ends meet and 45.5% of the population is under the poverty line with 9.8% living in extreme poverty as of 2012 (Jackson, n.d.). Poverty is reflected in Mexico’s poor ratings in many areas, including education, infrastructure and institutions, innovation, labour market efficiency etc. This has resulted in around 12 million working in the black market without any social security, thus often leading to exploitations. Not only do they not receive protection, their earnings are also not enough to make ends meet, with almost 25 million Mexicans earning less than $14 per day. One-quarter of the workforce is underemployed and over 5 million is unemployed in Mexico. The average salary in urban areas is 3 to 4 times more than rural areas (Berrebi, 2012), thus explaining the reason for many people from rural areas to migrate to USA for jobs with better salaries. This shows that poverty in Mexico pushes Mexicans out of the country in search of better job opportunities.
Mexicans are not so much migrating to the USA than running from Mexico, and one of the push factors is violence in Mexico ranging from kidnapping and extortion cases to drug-related crimes, which creates a humanitarian crisis. Firstly, the crime rates in Mexico are extremely high, with homicide rates at approximately 10-14 per 100,000 people and world average of 10.9 per 100,000 (Jackson, n.d.). It is estimated that 47,500 people have been killed as a result of criminal violence since 2007 (Jackson, n.d.). This causes many Mexicans to flee from Mexico out of fear for their lives and migrate to USA in the hope that they will have a more stable life free from threats.
Secondly, the drug war is a significant reason for Mexicans to cross borders into USA. Before the early 1900s, the use of drugs was legal in the United States, until a series of laws made all drug use illegal. However, Americans ignored the new vice laws, leading to the setting up of black markets to supply people with drugs such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and marijuana (Redmond, 2013). The ban on drugs caused initial shortages which drastically boosted drug prices. The profits to be made ensured not only that the black markets would survive, but also that new suppliers would continue to supply them. Mexico’s proximity to the US made it an easy source, causing traffickers to rush from Mexico to supply the US with unlawful narcotics and alcohol. Therefore, as a result of Prohibition (of drugs), exports of Mexican opium, heroin and marijuana for US consumption increased dramatically. Mexico has also been a vital transit point along trafficking routes for drugs, especially cocaine, for decades. More than two thirds of the cocaine which originated in South America passes through Mexico (DEA, 1996, 2003) before entering the US, though it is only recently that Mexico became involved in the refining process and took a more active role in cocaine trafficking. To rid the country of illicit drugs and drug trafficking, the drug war started. The drug gangs, armed with military grade weapons such as grenade launchers, proved an equal match for Mexican soldiers and police. Drug cartel sicarios (assassins), the military and police have committed countless atrocities and violated human rights numerous times. The level of violence and slaughter is similar to typical warfare. In merely six years, an estimated 120,000 people have lost their lives, more than 20,000 people have vanished into thin air, and a quarter of a million have been displaced as a result of this drug-fueled brutality (Redmond, 2013). Entire towns and cities have turned into war zones full with military checkpoints and drug cartel roadblocks. Murder and robbery are now viewed as everyday occurrences. The war to stop illegal drugs and drug trafficking has been a grisly failure, resulting in a lot of blood spilled and Mexicans having to live their lives in constant worry for fear of being killed. Till today, Mexico remains a major exporter of heroin and marijuana and central transit point for cocaine bound for the US. Drugs cross the porous US-Mexican border far more easily than migrants seeking work in the US. The power of the drug cartels to kill, corrupt, and evade has grown exponentially as have their profits from illegal drug trafficking (Redmond, 2013). This causes Mexicans to cross the borders into US illegally and be in jails rather than remain in Mexico (Wolf, 2009).
Thirdly, youth gangs play a vital role in causing Mexicans, especially unaccompanied children, to migrate out of Mexico. Youth gangs, also known as street gangs, control local turf for extortion and drug distribution. They are involved in less profitable criminal activities than larger, more complicated groups that focus on drugs and arms trafficking and are more geographically distributed (Corcoran, 2013). The street gangs target adolescent boys for gang recruitment and threaten to kill them when they do not join. Adolescent girls are also targeted, and when they refuse they might be beaten or raped. The problem of street gangs is exacerbated by the explosion of Mexico’s drug war (Johnson, 2014), causing Mexicans to migrate to the US and seek for asylums, where they would be safer than at home. Even though the journey from Mexico to US is treacherous and filled with dangers like robbery, extortion and rapes in the case of girls, Mexicans would still migrate there without much hesitation. To them, they might get killed on the way to the US, but if they remain at home they would definitely get killed, so they would rather risk the dangers of migrating to the US than stay in Mexico (Johnson, 2014).
The second push factor is poverty, which is a big problem in Mexico. Many Mexican families are struggling to make ends meet and 45.5% of the population is under the poverty line with 9.8% living in extreme poverty as of 2012 (Jackson, n.d.). Poverty is reflected in Mexico’s poor ratings in many areas, including education, infrastructure and institutions, innovation, labour market efficiency etc. This has resulted in around 12 million working in the black market without any social security, thus often leading to exploitations. Not only do they not receive protection, their earnings are also not enough to make ends meet, with almost 25 million Mexicans earning less than $14 per day. One-quarter of the workforce is underemployed and over 5 million is unemployed in Mexico. The average salary in urban areas is 3 to 4 times more than rural areas (Berrebi, 2012), thus explaining the reason for many people from rural areas to migrate to USA for jobs with better salaries. This shows that poverty in Mexico pushes Mexicans out of the country in search of better job opportunities.
Pull factors of USA
One of the pull factors is the quality of life. Quality of life in USA is significantly better than in Mexico. For one, access to improved drinking water. 94.9% of the population in Mexico has access to improved drinking water while 99.2% of the people in USA have access to improved drinking water. Water is an essential and basic part of anyone’s life, thus having greater access to clean water is one of the key to improving the quality of life. Secondly, access to sanitation facilities. In Mexico, 85.3% of the population has access to sanitation facilities whereas in USA, 100% of the population in Mexico has access to sanitation facilities. Sanitation is again one of the basic parts of life, thus 100% of the people having access to sanitation facilities suggests a better quality of life in USA. Thirdly, healthcare that is available to the population. USA has better healthcare services than Mexico, which can be seen in the amount of money that the government has been invested in the healthcare area. Mexico spent 6.4% of its GDP on health expenditures while USA spent 17.9% of their GDP on health expenditures (Index Mundi, 2012). Having better healthcare will mean that the life expectancy will be increased as well. These are just some of the various aspects that show that USA offers a better quality of life than in Mexico. Therefore, many Mexicans are enticed to migrate to USA for better lives.
The second pull factor is hopes for family reunification, which is the desire to reunite with long-absent parents who had already migrated to the US. There is also a perception that unaccompanied children apprehended at the US border will not be deported but instead reunited with their relatives there, and this perception is reinforced by US immigration authorities which have been releasing unaccompanied minors to parents and relatives around the country before an immigration court sometime in the future (Villagran, 2014) and by criminal social networks that create human trafficking rings and offer to smuggle children across the US-Mexico borders for a hefty sum of money around $6-7,000, also referred to as ‘coyotes’, who hope to earn extra money with more children to smuggle (Negroponte, 2014).
One of the pull factors is the quality of life. Quality of life in USA is significantly better than in Mexico. For one, access to improved drinking water. 94.9% of the population in Mexico has access to improved drinking water while 99.2% of the people in USA have access to improved drinking water. Water is an essential and basic part of anyone’s life, thus having greater access to clean water is one of the key to improving the quality of life. Secondly, access to sanitation facilities. In Mexico, 85.3% of the population has access to sanitation facilities whereas in USA, 100% of the population in Mexico has access to sanitation facilities. Sanitation is again one of the basic parts of life, thus 100% of the people having access to sanitation facilities suggests a better quality of life in USA. Thirdly, healthcare that is available to the population. USA has better healthcare services than Mexico, which can be seen in the amount of money that the government has been invested in the healthcare area. Mexico spent 6.4% of its GDP on health expenditures while USA spent 17.9% of their GDP on health expenditures (Index Mundi, 2012). Having better healthcare will mean that the life expectancy will be increased as well. These are just some of the various aspects that show that USA offers a better quality of life than in Mexico. Therefore, many Mexicans are enticed to migrate to USA for better lives.
The second pull factor is hopes for family reunification, which is the desire to reunite with long-absent parents who had already migrated to the US. There is also a perception that unaccompanied children apprehended at the US border will not be deported but instead reunited with their relatives there, and this perception is reinforced by US immigration authorities which have been releasing unaccompanied minors to parents and relatives around the country before an immigration court sometime in the future (Villagran, 2014) and by criminal social networks that create human trafficking rings and offer to smuggle children across the US-Mexico borders for a hefty sum of money around $6-7,000, also referred to as ‘coyotes’, who hope to earn extra money with more children to smuggle (Negroponte, 2014).
Impacts of illegal immigration on Mexico
Migration can help to improve migrant-receiving countries such as Mexico. For example, between 1990 and 2000 migration increased wages by 8% in Mexico (Campos-Vazquez et al., 2012, p.5). An average Mexican earn about $2054 USD per year which is significantly lesser as compared to US$23126.40 (Worldsalaries.org, 2008). Thus, it can be seen that the wages of illegal immigrants increase when they migrate to the US.
When illegal immigrants remit money back to their country, recipients can spend the money on basic schooling or health care or invest in entrepreneurial activities. According to the Migration Policy Institute, remittance have contributed to Mexico’s GDP (gross-domestic product),--which is $22 billion, about 2.5% of the GDP (Campos-Vazquez et al, 2012, p.5). Also, the government can use the money to develop policies that promote smart, stable growth, and this leads to raised incomes and a reduction poverty rates in developing countries such as Mexico (Immigration Policy Center, 2010).
Also, with most of the working adults leaving the country, there will be less people paying the taxes, and thus having less economic support for the elderly left in the country. This will affect other social services provided by the government to the citizens, which includes healthcare and security systems.
There is reduced population density as a great fraction of the young generation migrates and the number of birth rate decreases. This will help ease overpopulation in general.
Most migrants exiting Mexico are males, leaving huge proportions of the population in Mexico, which are females, behind. This is a big problem as many females cannot find partners, thus delaying their marriage and decreasing the chances of them having children. This will cause Mexico’s birth rate to decrease, and thus increasing the economic burden on the shrinking workforce, and thus hindering the country’s economic growth.
Migration can help to improve migrant-receiving countries such as Mexico. For example, between 1990 and 2000 migration increased wages by 8% in Mexico (Campos-Vazquez et al., 2012, p.5). An average Mexican earn about $2054 USD per year which is significantly lesser as compared to US$23126.40 (Worldsalaries.org, 2008). Thus, it can be seen that the wages of illegal immigrants increase when they migrate to the US.
When illegal immigrants remit money back to their country, recipients can spend the money on basic schooling or health care or invest in entrepreneurial activities. According to the Migration Policy Institute, remittance have contributed to Mexico’s GDP (gross-domestic product),--which is $22 billion, about 2.5% of the GDP (Campos-Vazquez et al, 2012, p.5). Also, the government can use the money to develop policies that promote smart, stable growth, and this leads to raised incomes and a reduction poverty rates in developing countries such as Mexico (Immigration Policy Center, 2010).
Also, with most of the working adults leaving the country, there will be less people paying the taxes, and thus having less economic support for the elderly left in the country. This will affect other social services provided by the government to the citizens, which includes healthcare and security systems.
There is reduced population density as a great fraction of the young generation migrates and the number of birth rate decreases. This will help ease overpopulation in general.
Most migrants exiting Mexico are males, leaving huge proportions of the population in Mexico, which are females, behind. This is a big problem as many females cannot find partners, thus delaying their marriage and decreasing the chances of them having children. This will cause Mexico’s birth rate to decrease, and thus increasing the economic burden on the shrinking workforce, and thus hindering the country’s economic growth.
Impacts of illegal immigration on USA
Many illegal immigrants are willing to take up low-paying jobs such as construction and agricultural workers, and some even work for less wages (Lipman, 2006), thus American companies are more productive and employers are able to earn higher incomes as they pay a lower labour cost (Hanson, 2009, p.8).
In a paper by the Migration Policy Institute, illegal immigrants provide a stable, ready source of manpower in jobs that require low-skills (Hanson, 2009,p. 8). Illegal immigrants are a flexible component of our workforce---they act as a safety valve when demand for workers is pressing. They are also one of the first to be discharged when the economy falters (Greenspan, 2011).
The lowest hourly mean wage of an illegal immigrant is US$8.03 (US infrastructure, n.d.). Thus, the yearly salary of an illegal immigrant with a daily working hour of 8 hours is around US$23126.40. Therefore, compared with the salary a worker in Mexico earns, an illegal immigrant earns more in US than in Mexico, thus they will be able to remit more money back home when working in the US.
Illegal immigrants also spend money on personal consumption, such as paying for their property and sales tax, contributing to government coffers, whether it is local, state, or federal. For example, approximately 13.9% of the US's illegal immigrants live in Texas. It was reported in 2006 that illegal immigrants paid about $424.7 million more in state revenues – including sales tax and school property tax, and in turn the government used the collected revenue to improve and invest in state services, including education and health care." (Washington Post, 2008)
With a multi-ethnic society in USA, there will be more exposure, tolerance and understanding of other races and cultures, especially from the Mexicans. Food, language and music are some enrichment to the American culture by the Mexicans.
Immigrants into USA encourage US citizens to learn the new languages brought in by the immigrants. This will help people to develop the skills for working in the 21st century world.
However, the annual outlay that an average illegal immigrant household cost U.S. taxpayers is US$1117. The fiscal impact of illegal immigration on US citizens varies considerably as the most of the economic burden falls on state and local taxpayers, and in turn the economic burden depends on the size of the illegal immigrant population in that locality. Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments (Martin et al., 2010, p.4).
The largest cost that taxpayers in the US pay is education for the children of illegal immigrants, at an annual cost of approximately $52 billion with most of the costs subsidised by the US government (Martin et al., 2010, p.4). In addition, majority of the illegal immigrants do not pay income taxes but still attend schools and use other government services. It is acknowledged that some of them do pay income taxes. However, most of the revenue collected is refunded to them when they file tax returns. Also, many of them are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury, depleting monetary funds that were meant for the well-being of US citizens and increasing government expenditures (Martin et al., 2010, p.12). They also increase government expenditure by using public services, including fire and police protection, public roads and bridges, publicly funded emergency health care, and public education (Hanson, 2009, p.10).
There will be increased violence and tension between ethnic groups due to their cultural differences. Many US citizens deem immigrants as a threat to their livelihood and America's reputation (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.).
There is also rising tension along the U.S.-Mexico border; there is an increase in the number of American vigilante groups taking increasingly hostile actions to chase illegal Mexican immigrants out of the country. One of such an example is the Sacco and Vanzetti trial in 1921 (Study notes, 2014).
There has also been great opposition to illegal immigration, resulting in many citizens volunteering to patrol the US borders themselves. They also confront illegal workers in cities in the US. These citizens form groups known as the Minutemen.
The illegal immigrants help to increase the population in USA, which is good as America’s annual population growth of 1 percent is below its average growth rate of the last century. If immigration continues at the predicted rate calculated by the Census Bureau, then USA’s population will experience a 41% increase of about 127 million in 40 years, from 309 million in 2010 to 436 million in 2050 (Camarota, 2012).
The Census Bureau estimates that both legal and illegal immigration will add up to 68 million in 2050. These future immigrants, together with their children, will account for 96 million residents of the USA’s population, contributing to three fourths of future population growth (Camarota, 2012).
Even if immigration is half of what the Census Bureau estimates, USA’s population will still increase by 79 million by 2050, with immigration contributing to 61 percent of population growth (Camarota, 2012). These statistics show that in the future if the rates of immigration were to be consistent, USA's population would be even larger. Large populations bring economic benefits to the country. For example, there would be a larger working force in the country, thus leading to an increase in productivity and a higher GDP.
Many illegal immigrants are willing to take up low-paying jobs such as construction and agricultural workers, and some even work for less wages (Lipman, 2006), thus American companies are more productive and employers are able to earn higher incomes as they pay a lower labour cost (Hanson, 2009, p.8).
In a paper by the Migration Policy Institute, illegal immigrants provide a stable, ready source of manpower in jobs that require low-skills (Hanson, 2009,p. 8). Illegal immigrants are a flexible component of our workforce---they act as a safety valve when demand for workers is pressing. They are also one of the first to be discharged when the economy falters (Greenspan, 2011).
The lowest hourly mean wage of an illegal immigrant is US$8.03 (US infrastructure, n.d.). Thus, the yearly salary of an illegal immigrant with a daily working hour of 8 hours is around US$23126.40. Therefore, compared with the salary a worker in Mexico earns, an illegal immigrant earns more in US than in Mexico, thus they will be able to remit more money back home when working in the US.
Illegal immigrants also spend money on personal consumption, such as paying for their property and sales tax, contributing to government coffers, whether it is local, state, or federal. For example, approximately 13.9% of the US's illegal immigrants live in Texas. It was reported in 2006 that illegal immigrants paid about $424.7 million more in state revenues – including sales tax and school property tax, and in turn the government used the collected revenue to improve and invest in state services, including education and health care." (Washington Post, 2008)
With a multi-ethnic society in USA, there will be more exposure, tolerance and understanding of other races and cultures, especially from the Mexicans. Food, language and music are some enrichment to the American culture by the Mexicans.
Immigrants into USA encourage US citizens to learn the new languages brought in by the immigrants. This will help people to develop the skills for working in the 21st century world.
However, the annual outlay that an average illegal immigrant household cost U.S. taxpayers is US$1117. The fiscal impact of illegal immigration on US citizens varies considerably as the most of the economic burden falls on state and local taxpayers, and in turn the economic burden depends on the size of the illegal immigrant population in that locality. Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments (Martin et al., 2010, p.4).
The largest cost that taxpayers in the US pay is education for the children of illegal immigrants, at an annual cost of approximately $52 billion with most of the costs subsidised by the US government (Martin et al., 2010, p.4). In addition, majority of the illegal immigrants do not pay income taxes but still attend schools and use other government services. It is acknowledged that some of them do pay income taxes. However, most of the revenue collected is refunded to them when they file tax returns. Also, many of them are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury, depleting monetary funds that were meant for the well-being of US citizens and increasing government expenditures (Martin et al., 2010, p.12). They also increase government expenditure by using public services, including fire and police protection, public roads and bridges, publicly funded emergency health care, and public education (Hanson, 2009, p.10).
There will be increased violence and tension between ethnic groups due to their cultural differences. Many US citizens deem immigrants as a threat to their livelihood and America's reputation (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.).
There is also rising tension along the U.S.-Mexico border; there is an increase in the number of American vigilante groups taking increasingly hostile actions to chase illegal Mexican immigrants out of the country. One of such an example is the Sacco and Vanzetti trial in 1921 (Study notes, 2014).
There has also been great opposition to illegal immigration, resulting in many citizens volunteering to patrol the US borders themselves. They also confront illegal workers in cities in the US. These citizens form groups known as the Minutemen.
The illegal immigrants help to increase the population in USA, which is good as America’s annual population growth of 1 percent is below its average growth rate of the last century. If immigration continues at the predicted rate calculated by the Census Bureau, then USA’s population will experience a 41% increase of about 127 million in 40 years, from 309 million in 2010 to 436 million in 2050 (Camarota, 2012).
The Census Bureau estimates that both legal and illegal immigration will add up to 68 million in 2050. These future immigrants, together with their children, will account for 96 million residents of the USA’s population, contributing to three fourths of future population growth (Camarota, 2012).
Even if immigration is half of what the Census Bureau estimates, USA’s population will still increase by 79 million by 2050, with immigration contributing to 61 percent of population growth (Camarota, 2012). These statistics show that in the future if the rates of immigration were to be consistent, USA's population would be even larger. Large populations bring economic benefits to the country. For example, there would be a larger working force in the country, thus leading to an increase in productivity and a higher GDP.