Migrants trying to enter the US illegally has fallen
November 26 2009 by Liam Clifford
US immigration statistics for the fiscal year 2009 show a 30 year low for immigrants trying to enter the US at the Mexican border.
The amount of migrants trying to cross the South-West border between Mexico and the US illegally has fallen, officials have said that the number of detentions has dropped by 23% from 2008 and now stands at 556,000, the lowest number since the 1970’s.
The decline for the fiscal year 2009, which ended September 30, has been attributed to two factors, that being the poor job market and an increase in enforcement along the border.
The Obama administration will greet the figures favourably, as it will support their claim that a US immigration reform could be supported by a major improvement in border security. Opposition to the program say that if such a reform were to happen the border would be ‘flooded’ with illegal immigrants.
However, Republicans and researchers have warned that there is not that much of an improvement and the decreases are proportionally attributed to the US economy. They added there was nothing to stop Latino immigrants from returning and the US immigration figures jumping back up if the job market recovered.
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