A Revolving Door No More? A Statistical Profile of Mexican Adults Repatriated from the United States

Return migration to the United States by deportees from Mexico has slowed down significantly in the past decade. The Migration Policy Institute report, A Revolving Door No More? A Statistical Profile of Mexican Adults Repatriated from the United States, gives a statistical and demographic profile of Mexican adults returned by the United States government between 2005 and 2015 using data collected by the Mexican Interior Ministry. During that time, there was an 80 percent drop in Mexican adults seeking re-entry after being repatriated from the United States: 471,000 in 2005 to 95,000 in 2015. According to the Mexican Northern Border Survey, repatriated Mexicans intending to return to the U.S. declined from 95 percent to 49 percent between 2005 and 2015. The percentage of those intending to stay in Mexico rose from five to 47 percent, and many of those intending to stay in Mexico are leaving their children behind in the U.S. The report offers several factors that have contributed to this trend: border crossing has become more difficult, the U.S. economy has weakened and the criminalizing of unauthorized entries by the U.S. have all become effective deterrents. As new U.S. immigration policy may lead to greater border enforcement and increased removal of Mexican immigrants, it will be important for Mexico to strengthen services that encourage the social and economic reintegration of returning Mexican adults to promote future economic growth for the country. (The ILC Public Education Institute)

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