Abbas Grammy

A research document published by Public Policy Institute of California estimates that there are over 10 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, of whom 8 million are Latinos.  Mexico, which sends 400,000 workers annually to the United States, accounts for 5.6 million illegal immigrants.  Other Latin American countries with sizable exodus of illegal immigrants to the United States are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

The majority of Latino immigrants enter the United States from southern borders. Their traditional destinations are California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona.  California is the host to 2.4 million illegal immigrants. They add 73,000 people to California’s population every year, and account for 1 out to every 15 resident of the state.

Generally speaking, a potential Latino immigrant is a male, 25 years of age or younger, poorly educated, unskilled, unemployed, and not a head of household.  Most likely, he has friends or relatives who have immigrated already and could help him with room and board and information about job markets.  He might be able to find a temporary, low-paying job in such industries like farming, manufacturing, and household services.

There are several factors a potential immigrant would take into account.  A deciding factor is the difference in the standard of living between the host and home country.   This difference is rather sizable between Mexico and the United States. Mexico generates $10,100 of income per person per year, which is nearly one-fourth of that in the United States.  In addition, Mexico has a higher degree of inequality in the distribution of family income and a much greater percentage of people living in poverty than the United States.  These economic disparities are even more pronounced between other Latin American countries and the United State.

A potential immigrant must also consider the costs of immigration, including transportation and traveling expenses, risks associated with traveling and illegal entry, and possibilities of detention and deportation. Once passage is successful, he must adjust his expectation of making greater income by the cost of living differential, the probability of finding a job, and the uncertainty of keeping that job without legal documentation.  

While staying with friends or relatives alleviates his psychic cost of living in an unfamiliar environment, he would gain more enjoyment from entertainment and excitement of city life in the United State. After settling down, he would seek ways toward permanent residency and eventual citizenship.  He would also hope for his future children to be able to take advantage of opportunities that the United States, a free and affluent society, would offer them.
  
The key to curbing illegal immigration is for Latin America to achieve broad-based development including the enhancement of education and workforce preparation, creation of well-paying jobs, establishment of a social-safety net, and eradication of poverty.  Unfortunately, recent history shows that most Latin American countries have not been able to meet these challenges. For some countries, the mass departure of uneducated youth is a way to lower the economy’s unemployment rate.  On the other hand, more stringent regulations in the United States to limit illegal immigration could help reduce the flow of undocumented workers. However, they would not eliminate the incentives for economically deprived Latinos to cross the borders even at higher risks and greater uncertainties.

Sources:
Hans P. Johnson, Illegal Immigration, Public Policy Institute of California, April 2006.
World Factbook 2006 website at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook