Recession hits south of border

There is no doubt about it: The ongoing American recession has greatly reduced job opportunities in this country for illegal immigrants.

The effects can be seen in reduced numbers outside lumber yards and on street corners where recent arrivals often await chances at low-paying day labor. They can be seen in lowered unemployment rates in some states, Oklahoma the most spectacular.

Recession or no, unemployment there is down almost 25 percent from a year ago, due in part to tough new state laws penalizing employers of illegals and also because of a reduced illegal immigrant presence caused by thousands of Latin American workers returning home as Oklahoma jobs dried up.

There is also no doubt legal residents have filled some slots formerly occupied by illegals both there and across America.

Another effect: Overall funds sent to Mexico by migrant workers failed to rise last year for the first time in more than 20 years, remaining level at about $24 billion, as contributions to relatives at home rose during the first half of the year, but dropped severely as recession began to take hold in late 2007. Those contributions will be down much farther by the time 2008 is over.

But none of this happens in a vacuum. Now the drop in jobs for illegal immigrants has begun to impact businesses in Mexico that depend heavily on spending by local residents whose relatives work here in “El Norte.”

So a rebound effect has begun. Because some American companies are shuttering factories they operate in Mexico due to reduced spending in the United States and because of those impacted local businesses, job prospects in the poorest parts of Mexico are even worse than they were before most migrants initially headed north.

For as the U.S. economy sinks, so too does Mexico’s. And whenever that happens, Mexicans head north, legally or not.

Even with a recession on in America, even with foreclosures making homeowners reluctant to hire anyone for maintenance, even with banks failing at record rates and even with house payments on the rise, things are far better here than south of the border.

Amont other things, that means the rebound immigration wave will likely rise as former illegals who returned home discover that even without legal status, life was better for them in America.

Thomas D. Elias writes on California politics and other issues. E-mail him at tdelias@aol.com.