Facts and Myths About Mexican Immigrants

Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova at the Migration Policy Institute have an article on Mexican immigrants that is worth your time.

Is there a surge of Mexican immigrants? No.

After four decades of strong growth, the Mexican immigrant population in the United States hit a turning point in 2010. While the overall number of immigrants in the country increased every year between 2010 and 2017, the number of Mexicans first flattened out and then started a slow decline in 2014. Between 2016 and 2017, the Mexican immigrant population shrunk by about 300,000, from 11.6 million to 11.3 million.

Is there a crisis of Mexican immigrants at the border? No.

More Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico than have migrated to the United States, and apprehensions of Mexicans at the U.S.-Mexico border are at a 40-year low. Mexico is also no longer the top origin country among the most recent immigrants to the United States.

Are the immigrants "bad hombres"? No.

In addition, newer immigrants from Mexico are more likely to be college graduates and have stronger English skills than those who arrived in prior decades.

Are Mexican immigrants lazy? No.

Mexicans participate in the labor force at a higher rate than both the native- and overall foreign-born populations.

And yet just yesterday we have this:

All we can do is keep repeating facts to get them as widely spread as possible.