Mexicans sending money to relatives in the US

[Nikki Stone1]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/world/americas/16mexico.html?pagewanted=all

MIAHUATLÁN, Mexico — During the best of the times, Miguel Salcedo’s son, an illegal immigrant in San Diego, would be sending home hundreds of dollars a month to support his struggling family in Mexico. But at times like these, with the American economy out of whack and his son out of work, Mr. Salcedo finds himself doing what he never imagined he would have to do: wiring pesos north.

Unemployment has hit migrant communities in the United States so hard that a startling new phenomenon has been detected: instead of receiving remittances from relatives in the richest country on earth, some down-and-out Mexican families are scraping together what they can to support their unemployed loved ones in the United States.

“We send something whenever we have a little extra, at least enough so he can eat,” said Mr. Salcedo, who is from a small village here in the rural state of Oaxaca and works odd jobs to support his wife, his two younger sons and, now, his jobless eldest boy in California.

He is not alone. Leonardo Herrera, a rancher from outside Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the southern state of Chiapas, said he recently sold a cow to help raise $1,000 to send to his struggling nephew in northern California.

Also in Chiapas, a poor state that sends many migrants to the United States, María del Carmen Montufar has pooled money with her husband and other family members to wire financial assistance to her daughter Candelaria in North Carolina. In the last year, the family has sent money — small amounts ranging from $40 to $80 — eight times to help Candelaria and her husband, who are both without steady work and recently had a child.......

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Up is down

and who unrecs material that ... never mind... it's DU

[Heidi]

2. Recommended.

:kick:

[Hello_Kitty]

3. There's that modern "American Dream" for ya.

Come here to work your ass off to better your and your family's lot in life. Only instead of upward mobility, you get years of subsistence wages. Not nearly enough to save for a rainy day or put down roots for yourself here. Thank union busting and globalization for this.

[MellowDem]

4. Booyah!

More money for our economy! Suck on it, Mexico!

[Thickasabrick]

5. Well, since so many factories have closed here and opened in

Mexico (Hershey comes to mind), we might see a migration south of americans.

[Nikki Stone1]

8. Unless that wall stops the downward flow. That is why I have always been opposed to a wall.

The same wall that can keep others out can keep you in.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

6. About damn time.

[babylonsister]

7. Wow. nt

[kelly1mm]

9. And this is a problem why? I guess americans will do those jobs

after all. Employers are hiring americans to do the jobs the illegal immigrants/undocumented workers were doing for two reasons. First, upgraded enforcement of immigration laws against employers as had long been lacking and supported by most here on DU. Second is that, when desperate enough, americans will do these jobs for the same crap wages.

Once the employers don't have to/cannot hire the illegal immigrants/undocumented workers, those workers don't make money. No really that hard to predict.

[KamaAina]

10. Only one of the people profiled in the article is identified as undocumented

you have no idea what the status of the others may be. :eyes:

[kelly1mm]

11. Ah yes - of course you are right and the NYT's use of "migrant"

without any more info lets the reader make his/her own assumptions/inferences. Kind of like the following quote:

" For Alfonso, the situation has been just as difficult. He crossed into the United States in December with about $500 that his father gave him, supplemented with money he earned doing odd jobs in Tijuana. He found a job in San Diego paying enough for him to send home $170 the first month and $120 the next. The third month, he told his family he could afford to send only $40."

I certainly is possible that when Alfonso "crossed" he could have gone through ICE. Somehow I doubt it though. But as the NYT did not deem that fact newsworthy I guess we will never know for sure.

[KamaAina]

13. Alfonso is the one specifically identified as undocumented

in fact, the "liberal" NYT uses the word "illegal".

The status of the other immigrants profiled is not discussed.

[kelly1mm]

14. Right, not discussed = leaves it to the reader to infer/assume/guess. nt

[treestar]

12. I don't see they've proven a trend here, but if true the Candelaria's should

go home and maybe some of us should go with them.

I never understood why Mexico doesn't strike it rich. It's a huge California in climate and has oil.

And whatever we outsource to China would be better outsourced to Mexico if it has to be outsourced. China is so damn far away. It's hard to believe transport costs don't eat up the savings on the labor.