A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer checks identifications as people cross into the U.S. … [+] States from Mexico on September 23, 2016 in San Ysidro, California. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Mexican immigration to the United States encourages increased trade and investment, increasing prosperity in both countries, according to new research. Most of the political discourse on immigration from Mexico to the United States has been emotional, with American elected officials using heated political rhetoric and focusing on illegal immigration. The research suggests that Americans should look past the rhetoric and focus on economic facts.
“We find an overall positive and significant relationship between Mexico-U.S. migration and Mexico-U.S. imports, exports, and inward FDI [foreign direct investment] from the U.S. to Mexico,” concluded economists Michael Gove and Liliana Meza González. Gove is an economics professor at the University of North Georgia, and González is a professor and researcher in the Department of International Studies at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.
In their research, the two economists examined 10 years of data, from 2008 to 2017, to estimate the “potential contribution of migration to international trade and foreign direct investment.” Gove and González concluded: “Migration complements trade and foreign direct investment, pointing to transnationalism as a key factor leading to migration’s positive contribution.”
Ronald Reagan proposed a North American Free Trade Agreement. “The original idea was from Ronald Reagan,” said Agustín Barrios Gómez, a former federal congressman and diplomat from Mexico. “He suggested it to José López Portillo, our president at the time . . . The reason he (Reagan) proposed a free trade agreement with Mexico was that he knew that American prosperity and national security are directly dependent on a stable and cooperative Mexico. Without a stable and cooperative Mexico, there is no American superpower.”
The original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) contained some measures to encourage the free movement of foreign professionals between the United States and Mexico and Canada. However, Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton knew that it would not be possible to get congressional approval if the pact also included broader immigration provisions to allow more Mexicans to work legally in the United States.
Illegal immigration from Mexico is primarily caused by the restrictions on legal avenues for Mexicans to work in the United States. President George W. Bush sought to remedy this through a proposed US-Mexico migration agreement that included expanded work visas and broader cooperation on immigration enforcement between the two countries. An agreement was nearing completion, but after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it would have been impossible to get congressional approval, and the effort was largely abandoned before it became a formal pact.
Donald Trump’s vision of Mexican immigrants differed from previous presidents. In his first speech as a presidential candidate, Trump said that many Mexicans were rapists who would commit crimes against Americans. It became part of a central message in his campaign. In contrast, in a book published in 2021, George W. Bush, who served as president from January 2001 to January 2009, wrote about the family values and work ethic of Mexican immigrants.
Trump threatened to end NAFTA, though it was eventually renamed and updated, with parts that became more “managed trade” rather than “free trade.” Trump gained leverage over Mexico on immigration enforcement not by an agreement to bring in more Mexican workers legally, but by threatening to damage Mexico’s economy with punitive tariffs.
“The transnational networks that link migrants to their countries of origin generally promote economic activities that benefit both the United States and Mexico, an outcome that has policy implications both in Mexico and in the United States,” according to Gove and González.
The economists make several policy recommendations. First, the United States should “increase opportunities for more regular migration from Mexico.” Gove and González are in favor of increased visas for skilled and unskilled temporary workers from Mexico.
“Expanded temporary worker programs, properly constructed, will aid economic growth and improve border control efforts and national security,” according to Senate testimony delivered in March 2015 by Randel K. Johnson on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Johnson, now a distinguished immigration fellow at Cornell Law School, said, “The currently existing temporary agency programs are extremely difficult to use and are limited to unrealistically low levels.”
According to Gove and González, providing more opportunities for Mexican workers to become permanent residents of the United States will promote more trade and investment and raise living standards in both countries. Further investment in the human capital of those coming to the United States will also help both nations. “To promote favorable economic dynamics in the country related to migration flows to the United States, the Mexican government can emphasize the quality of education and the use of remittances in the human capital of potential migrants,” they write.
Gove and González conclude that American and Mexican societies are closely connected. Their research finds that Mexican immigration to the United States benefits both countries.
How does migration impact the economy?
Economic growth Migration increases the population of working age. Migrants bring skills and contribute to the development of human capital in the recipient countries. Migrants also contribute to technological progress. It is important to understand these impacts if our societies are to be able to discuss the role of migration in a useful way.
Why is migration good for the economy? Economic growth ï Migration increases the population of working age. ï Migrants bring skills and contribute to the development of human capital in the recipient countries. To see also : Ninth US-Vietnam Asia-Pacific Dialogue – US Department of State. Migrants also contribute to technological progress. It is important to understand these impacts if our societies are to be able to discuss the role of migration in a useful way.
Does migration improves the economic status?
Migrants increase GDP per person and productivity: A 1 percentage point increase in the share of migrants in the adult population increases GDP per person in advanced economies by up to 2 percent in the longer term.
How does migration impact and or affect the economics of a region?
Migration increases world GDP, especially by increasing productivity. Average per capita income for natives increases as their skills complement those of migrants. See the article : Ameri-coup: A Brief History of American Misdeeds. Remittances from abroad increase per capita income in the countries of origin, helping to offset the potentially negative effects of emigration.
Who were the first Hispanics to come to America?
Spanish Period Spanish entry into what is now the American Southwest began in 1540, when Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, his 230 Spanish soldiers, 800 indigenous Mexicans, and three women marched into the Rio Grande Valley. On the same subject : The expansion of the U.S. Contribution to the World Food Program – United States Department of State.
Who started the Mexican race? People of Mexican descent in Texas trace their biological origins to the racial mixing that occurred after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1520s. During the Spanish colonial period, population increases occurred when Spanish males mixed with Indian females, producing a mestizo race.
Who are the ancestors of Mexican Americans?
Genetic studies done in the Mexican population have found European ancestry ranging from 56% to 60%, 64% and up to 78%. In general, Mexicans have both European and Indian ancestry, and the proportion varies by region and individual. African ancestry is also present, but in a lower proportion.
Who was the first Mexican to come to America?
Spanish entry into what is now the American Southwest began in 1540, when Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, his 230 Spanish soldiers, 800 indigenous Mexicans, and three women marched into the Rio Grande Valley.
When did Hispanics start coming to America?
Mexican immigration to the United States officially began in 1848. It has continued to the present without any significant interruption, making this labor migration quite distinct as a significant component of the American labor market.
Why is there so much immigration from Mexico?
Economic inequality, rural poverty, significantly lower wages, and better opportunities have also played a role throughout the 20th century as factors that draw Mexicans to migrate to the United States.
Why do people migrate from Mexico? Since 2020, a combination of rising violence across Mexico and a worsening economy has led to the first jump in Mexican migration in a decade.
Why are so many Mexicans moving to the US?
These factors are correlated with the economic benefits of the American Dream. Some push factors that force a Mexican citizen to leave their homeland include high crime rates, drug trafficking, unemployment, poverty, and climate hazards that lead to water shortages.
Why did Mexican immigration increase?
The first wave began in the 20th century. Revolution in Mexico and a strong American economy led to a huge increase in Mexican immigration rates. Between 1910 and 1930, the number of Mexican immigrants counted by the US Census tripled from 200,000 to 600,000.
Why did Mexicans immigrate to the US in the 1960s?
During the 1960s, Mexican immigration increased rapidly, driven by the rapid growth of Mexico’s population—which tripled in 50 years; driven by the higher wages found in the United States – at least six times higher than those in Mexico; and forced by the unwillingness of the Mexican government to control immigration…
Which Latin American country has the most immigrants? As of July 2021, 4.1 million refugees and migrants from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were registered in South America, 43% of whom were in Colombia, followed by Peru with 830,000 and Chile with 455,500 (R4V, 2021).
Why did Latin Americans immigrate to the US?
Authoritarian regimes, poor economic conditions and internal armed conflicts drove migration from countries including Argentina and Chile, and a shift in US policy made immigration more feasible. In the 1990s and 2000s, social and economic crises led to further departures from the region.
Where do most Latin American immigrants come from?
A quarter of the US immigrant population, or 11.4 million, are from Mexico alone, far more than any other country. And over the past decade, increasing numbers of immigrants have come from countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
