The End of an Era: More Mexicans Leaving than Arriving
According to new data released by the Pew Research Center, there are now more Mexicans leaving the U.S. to return home than there are immigrating to the U.S. This is the first time we have seen these statistics since the 1940s and they seem to signify an end to what some have called, “the largest immigration wave in modern American history.”
Over the last number of decades, Mexican immigration to the U.S. has been fueled by numerous factors including, U.S. economic expansion and the subsequent creation of jobs, high birthrates in Mexico and the increased number of mouths to feed, and a poor Mexican economy.
In recent years, however, Mexico’s birthrate has declined tremendously, relieving the economic pressure of feeding large families. Mexico’s economy has also improved, making it less necessary for Mexicans to seek higher-paying jobs in North America. Moreover, many Mexican immigrants still have families in Mexico. Now that living conditions have improved and economic pressures have decreased, the prospect of family reunification seems to be the number one factor motivating Mexicans to return home.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/mexican-immigration-to-u-s-reverses-1447954334
Donald Trump Calls for a Ban on all Muslim Travel to the U.S.
The Republican presidential front-runner, Donald Trump, has called for a blanket ban on all Muslim travel to the U.S. His proposed policy would apply to both tourists and people looking to emigrate from Muslim countries. Trump has previously called for the widespread surveillance of mosques and for the registration of all Muslims living in the U.S.
To support his controversial policies, Trump has cited a poll taken by the Center for Security Policy, which claimed that, “a quarter of Muslims living in the U.S. believe violence against Americans is justified as part of a global jihadist campaign.” Many have questioned the reliability and validity of this information. Trump’s campaign has also pointed to a Pew Research poll, one that they have declined to identify, which the campaign claims points to “great hatred of Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.”
The proposal has been widely condemned by the Obama administration, by Democrats, and by Republicans, including all of the other Republican presidential candidates. Many have said that the policy goes against fundamental American values and that it is a counter-productive measure that would only alienate Muslim communities and make it more difficult to prevent the spread of radicalization. It has also been said that the policy would play into the hands of ISIS and other fundamentalist groups by framing this as a war against Islam. Still others have pointed out that this policy could seriously endanger our troops and diplomats in Muslim countries.
Despite the widespread criticism, Trump’s controversial comments have done little to hurt his popularity. Many Trump supporters have publicly embraced the proposed ban, believing that it would increase our security by ensuring that potential terrorists can’t enter the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/07/politics/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration/
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