LatinNews Monitor: Mexico - 26 November 2015

A new report by the US's respected Pew Research Center has confirmed that more Mexicans are leaving the US than moving there. From 2009 to 2014 around 1m Mexicans returned to Mexico, while only 870,000 crossed into the US, meaning a net loss of 140,000 Mexican nationals. While it has been known for some time that Mexico-US migration was at net zero, this latest review confirms a net loss. The Pew Center has also produced supporting research to show that illegal migration from Mexico to the US, notoriously difficult to measure, is also down by about 1m since 2007, although Mexicans still make up about half of unauthorised immigrants (49% in 2014). The news is unlikely to satisfy conservative right-wing US Republican presidential contenders seeking the GOP nomination on tough anti-immigration platforms, including opposition to President Barack Obama’s proposed ‘path to naturalisation’ for the estimated 11m illegal migrants currently living and working in the US.