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From 1970 to 2010, more than 10 million Mexicans migrated to the US. Now, after decades of rising numbers immigrating to the US, a new demographic trend is playing out: illegal immigration is waning. Many dispute the reason why. Here are four factors that play a role.
A bad American economy
Aside from cases of family reunification, migrants leave their communities for one reason: jobs. If there are no jobs, there is no reason to uproot. The Pew Hispanic Center says that declining job opportunities state side have played a major part in the US no longer seeming as attractive an option as it once was to potential migrants. The recession had a significant impact on industries such as construction and manufacturing, which disproportionately employ Latino immigrants. Many have stayed in the US to ride out turbulent economic times, but the remittances that they send home ebb and flow with their ability to earn.
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