Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
school. In addition, among the working-age population, the unemployment rate in
2006 was 33 percent according to the Haitian census. One of fi ve Haitian house-
holds receives remittances from abroad.
The economies of many poorer countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Central
and South America, and Eurasia depend in part on remittances sent to their citi-
zens. In 2007, Mexican immigrants sent $23.98 billion in remittances home, up
from $23.05 billion in 2006. Remittances to Mexico make up 19 percent of
household incomes in urban areas and 27 percent of household incomes in rural
areas of Mexico. Since 2007, the downturn in the American economy has gener-
ated a new fl ow of money called
reverse remittances:
from Mexico to the
United States. Unemployed, undocumented migrants in the United States asked
families in Mexico for fi nancial support. Despite the economic downturn in the
United States and reverse remittances, the Pew Center for Hispanic Research has
not noted a return fl ow of migrants from the United States to Mexico. The likely
reason is the high cost associated with migrating illegally from Mexico to the
United States.
Not all immigrants are undocumented or illegal. Of the estimated 31.2 mil-
lion immigrants in the United States today, 20.4 million are legal immigrants
(Fig. 3.2). Countries recognize the need for immigrant labor, and many have policies
allowing, indeed encouraging, legal immigrants to work under temporary visas to
fi ll a need. Thousands of people who work in the United States and Canada are
70
°
60
°
UNITED STATES
CUBA
596,700
BELIZE
38,200
MEXICO
5,609,900
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
926,800
HAITI
525,000
LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM
MIDDLE AND SOUTH AMERICA
TO THE UNITED STATES,
1980-2010
(25,000 migrants or more)
JAMAICA
563,000
GUATEMALA
352,100
EL SALVADOR
680,200
NICARAGUA
185,000
5,000,000
HONDURAS
181,800
COSTA RICA
65,900
VENEZUELA
149,200
PANAMA
80,900
VOLUME
1,000,000
500,000
100,000
COLOMBIA
501,900
0
250
500
750 Kilometers
0
250
500 Miles
90
°
80
°
Figure 3.2
Legal Immigration from Middle and South America to the United States, 1980-2010.
Data from:
United States Department of Homeland Security, Yearbook of Immigration
Statistics, 2010.
