More Mexicans are leaving the US than arriving. US Census data shows that in each year since 2015, there has been a “reverse migration,” with a net decrease of 300 thousand Mexicans in 2017 alone. Even more interesting is that now there are more Americans moving to Mexico than Mexicans moving to the US. That is the conclusion of a May 2019 report from Mexico’s statistics institute. It estimates that the US-born population in Mexico has risen to nearly 800 thousand, up four-fold since 1990. The US Embassy in Mexico puts the number at closer to 1.5 million.
The Americans moving to Mexico are a mixed lot. Some are the US-born children of Mexican parents who are returning home. Some are US retirees stretching their retirement dollars further. Some are US ex-pats who love the beauty and culture of the country. This American immigration has been a boom to local economies as ornate retirement homes are built, municipal sports arenas are filled, restaurants are crowded, and charitable organizations flourish.
This migration has been encouraged by the relative strength of the dollar against the peso (it is reported that a person can live well in Mexico on $2000-3000 per month). And it has been enabled by the internet, which has become the provider of all things. The internet enables instant communication across borders; it allows US employees to work from cozy seaside villas; it allows Amazon to deliver anything that can be obtain from the US. In addition, big box stores such as Wal-Mart or Office Depot dot across Mexico, providing not only the products that these immigrants want but also a tiny feel of America.
Economics and technology are driving a demographic shift. While problems such as poverty and drug cartels still exist, they do not stop the overall trend. Technology is making the US and Mexico increasingly familiar to each other—another sign of regionalization.
References:
Washington Post, “A low-key surge across the southern border,” 19 May 2019.
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