Internal Migration in Mexico

Unit 3: Migration

12/16/16

Original article can be found here

Synopsis:

          Many people think that Mexicans only migrate to the US. However, this is just based on what they see on the news and is not really true. Many Mexicans choose to migrate internally rather than internationally to the US. Emigration has actually been declining from Mexico yet the media has only been focusing on the statistics of those coming into the US rather than the increase of the ones who are not. Mexicans do not always find the hassle of moving to the US worth the trouble anymore but they feel like they don’t have any other option. However, recently they have been choosing to migrate internally to more prosperous areas of Mexico. Additionally, since 2009 more than 1 million native-born Mexicans living in the US returned to Mexico. This shows that conditions in Mexico are not the same as the used to be in the 1980’s and 1990’s and that people are now choosing to stay. These changes aren’t really due to more border control but rather due to changing conditions in Mexico and growing opportunities.

Analysis:

          Mexican emigration to the US has begun to decrease in recent years. Instead of internationally migrating more and more people are choosing to look for work and opportunity in other parts of the country. It is much easier to stay in the same country with the same culture and traditions rather than moving to somewhere completely different. Therefore, the consensus is that if people can prevent having to cross the border they would. In the region of Oaxaca in Mexico, internal migration has always existed. A lot of people in that area have found work as itinerant vendors traveling throughout the country and working on coastal plantations during the harvest season. Increasingly, more people have tried to find work within Mexico rather than resorting to migrating to the US. People have started inventing new jobs and it has worked out pretty well. Mexico City has also been on the receiving end of a lot of emigration from the rest of the country. Although it is true that moving to the US would earn people higher wages, migrating within Mexico has been a good alternative and has been improving the country’s economy. People are also okay with lower wages as long as they get to keep their traditions. In my opinion if this immigration is encouraged more it could potentially solve everyone’s problems. It will continue to decrease immigration to the US, which has been very controversial, and will help Mexico as well. The issue of Mexican emigration has been all over the news and has caused a lot of controversy. President-Elect Trump’s whole campaign was based on building a wall between Mexico and the US, however it is important to look into other solutions first before resorting to that. Mexican immigration to the US has already been decreasing (since 2009 1 million Mexicans have left) and in order to keep it that way internal migration should be further encouraged. Right now six million Mexicans are moving within the nation’s borders. Many of these emigrants don’t want to move to a different country anyway, they just want a better life. As we talked about in the class, the biggest pull factor for emigrants is economic. People just want to find a job to support their families and most likely don’t want to change their culture. Therefore, finding opportunities within the country is the right way to go about the issue.