A
s the source of 60 percent of all unauthorized immigration to the United States, Mexico is unrivaled
as in its importance to U.S. immigration policy
(see Figure 1).1 Recognizing this, the U.S. government’s primary response has been reinforcing the country’s 1,969-mile
border with its southern neighbor. While this is popular with
the public, it hasn’t stopped unauthorized immigration.2
Although unauthorized immigration has decreased in recent years, most experts attribute that primarily to the loss
of available jobs in the United States rather than increased
spending on border enforcement.3
Figure 1: Estimated U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant
Population, by Region and Country of Birth,
2009
Other Latin
America
20%
Asia
11%
Mexico
60%
Europe & Canada
4%
Africa & Other
4%
Source: Pew Hispanic Center, September, 2010.
U.S. spending on immigration enforcement increased
from $1 billion to $15 billion between 1990 and 2009. During this time the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population increased from 3 million to almost 12 million.4 Experts recognize that given the pull of higher wages in the United States,
it would take unrealistic amounts of personnel and funding–
not to mention the use of lethal force–to stop unauthorized
immigration through Mexico.5
The enforcement-only approach to migration is ineffective because it ignores some of the principal causes of unauthorized migration to the United States: poverty and inequality in Latin America, particularly in Mexico.6 Although
every migrant has his or her own story, most of those stories
include the inability to find work or earn enough money in
their homeland.
In a 2010 case study of an immigrant-sending community in Mexico, 61 percent of male migrants reported that
economic opportunities–higher wages and more jobs–were
the primary motivating factor for migration to the United
States.7 As the 2009 United Nations Human Development
Report stated, migration “largely reflects people’s need to
improve their livelihoods.”8
2 Briefing Paper, December 2010
In order to address immigration pressures directly, the
United States must consider a more balanced development
agenda toward Mexico and other migrant-sending countries
in Latin America. This includes elevating the importance
of poverty reduction and job-creation projects targeted to
migrant-sending communities—particularly in rural Mexico,
where poverty and migration are concentrated.9
Building sustainable livelihoods in migrant-sending communities not only has the potential to reduce a major cause
of immigration to the United States but could also contribute to the fight against violence and lawlessness in Mexico.
While the reasons for the violence are complex, poverty an