TJ Cline

Illegal Immigrants Returning To Mexico For American Jobs

May 3, 2006 |
MEXICO CITY—As dozens of major American corporations continue to move their manufacturing operations to Mexico, waves of job-seeking Mexican immigrants to the United States have begun making the deadly journey back across the border in search of better-paying Mexican-based American jobs.
"I came to this country seeking the job I sought when I first left this country," said Anuncio Reyes, 22, an undocumented worker who recrossed the U.S. border into Mexico last month, three years after leaving Mexico for the United States to work as an agricultural day laborer. "I spent everything I had to get back here. Yes, it was dangerous, and I miss my home. But as much as I love America, I have to go where the best American jobs are."
A group of Mexican workers make the dangerous trek home across the Rio Grande for their lunch break.



Reyes now works as a spot-welder on the assembly line of a Maytag large-appliance plant and earns $22 a day, most of which he sends back to his family in the U.S., who in turn send a portion of that back to the original family they left in Mexico. Like many former Mexican-Americans forced by circumstance to become American-Mexicans, Reyes dreams of one day bringing his relatives to Mexico so that they, too, may secure American employment in Mexico.
Despite the considerable risk illegal immigrants face in returning across the border, many find the lure of large U.S. factory salaries hard to resist—at 15 percent of the pay of corresponding jobs in America, these positions pay three times what Mexican jobs do.
Still, the danger is very real. When 31-year-old illegal Arizona resident Ignacio Jimenez sought employment at an American plant in Mexico, he was shot at by Mexican border guards as he attempted to illegally enter the country of his citizenship, pursued by U.S. immigration officials who thought he might be entering the country illegally, and fired upon again by a second group of U.S. Border Patrol agents charged with keeping valuable table-busing and food-delivery personnel inside American borders.
"It was a nightmare," Jimenez said. "Many became disoriented and panicked, and some were mixed in with immigrants going the other way across the Rio Grande and ended up swimming to the wrong country."
He added: "My cousin almost drowned. They fished him out and sent him back to wash dishes at T.G.I. Friday's."
Many say the trip across the border as illegal Mexican-American emigrants offers them a chance to land the American jobs in Mexico they never have been able to get as illegal Mexican-American immigrants in the U.S.
"It has always been my goal to have a good American job," Johnson Controls technician Camilla Torres, 27, said. "Many Mexicans now see Mexico as the land of opportunity. Mexicans will not stop trying to get here, no matter how much the Mexicans wish we would not."
Indeed, the trend of illegal re-emigration is causing great resentment among the local Mexican population, and tension between Mexicans and illegally re-entered Mexicans—dubbed repatriados—continues to build.
"I hate these Mexicans, always coming back here to Mexico from America and taking American jobs from the Mexicans who stayed in Mexico," said 55-year-old former Goodyear factory manager Juan-Miguel Diaz, who lost his job to a better-trained repatriado last March. "Why don't they go back to where they went to?"

Still, Jimenez, Reyes, and hundreds of others say they have no choice.
"The American Dream is alive and well in Mexico," Reyes said. "If I work hard, save my money, and plan well, I will be able to send my children to a good school—and who knows? If they study hard, perhaps they will get jobs someday at the new plant General Motors is building in China."

lnvanry

Nachez

Mexicans going to china illegally whoopdy do

wont the chinese love this
or mexicans in hong kong

clemson357

No illegals, no burritos

________________________

Little Wing

when i first moved to this area i stayed in a motel w my kids while i looked for a house to rent. this is pulp n paper country and every year mexicans come here to plant trees. so at the motel there were us and a ton of mexicans. they were quiet, clean and after work there were no drinking n drugs they played soccer and spent the evenings with their families. they hardly spoke english but were very patient and kind teaching my kids then 6 and 9 to play soccer. people are people. there are a lot of native born people in this area i'd much less like to live near or share an early summer evening with. this town is full of lowlife druggies, men who don't work and there are a lot of jobs americans won't do even if they could support their families on them. you should see the kids in this town out after dark at ages 8, 9, 10 because their parents are too busy getting fucked up to care. i could give a shit less where you were born, what color you are or what language you speak that's not what makes you a decent person or not and i'd sooner hire an illegal who meant to feed his kid than an american who doesn't give a crap where his are at 10pm. i think it's fucking stupid that any man willing to work has to risk his life to do so.

"MUSCLE IS TRULY GUARANTEED IF YOU WILL HONESTLY work out to BE YOUR VERY BEST -

GO FOR IT!!! BECAUSE YOU CAN!!!!!!

Take Care, John H."

Nick+

Well said.

People bitching about immigrants in Europe as well. But most of the young European people here don't want to get their hands dirty....... Well it's the immigrants who do the dirty jobs for them, and at a lousy wage with no rights..........

Fuck globilisation.

DOMS

So, you take exception about the legal citizens making a blanket judgment about illegals, but then make a blanket statement about the legal citizens.

Bravo.

Little Wing

have you ever stood back n looked at the general work ethic of todays young people who are used to having mommy n daddy keep them in nike sneakers, playstation games etc? little bobby is not anxious to work for what has always been handed to him n that's a fact. my kids earn what i buy them by working for it. chores, good grades. my 8 yr old and his best friend just started "jobs" helping neighbors with their recycling. it's cool to hear them planning all the ways they could make a little money and i think their plans will just get better as they go. if it takes sweeping the stairs every day for two weeks to get a game you want and you are willing to do it great if you aren't then trust me another kid will come along n do it n you can pout all you want about how but "oooh he's not even your kid he's illegal". get over it, get off your ass n earn your own damn game. a lot of kids need to learn this lesson, sadly it's true too many haven't n will never have to. don't blame the guy that points it out.

"MUSCLE IS TRULY GUARANTEED IF YOU WILL HONESTLY work out to BE YOUR VERY BEST -

GO FOR IT!!! BECAUSE YOU CAN!!!!!!

Take Care, John H."

Crono1000

my only gripe is that the mexicans get shot and arrested and the company that hires them gets nothing

Little Wing

the funniest "mom we thought of a way to make some money" moment was when i told Tyler i didn't think a dog washing business was a good idea for him n DJ... he said "well what about cats"

"MUSCLE IS TRULY GUARANTEED IF YOU WILL HONESTLY work out to BE YOUR VERY BEST -

GO FOR IT!!! BECAUSE YOU CAN!!!!!!

Take Care, John H."

Crono1000

aaaaaaaaaaaaaw that's funny

Little Wing

especially to anyone who's ever bathed a cat.

"MUSCLE IS TRULY GUARANTEED IF YOU WILL HONESTLY work out to BE YOUR VERY BEST -

GO FOR IT!!! BECAUSE YOU CAN!!!!!!

Take Care, John H."

BigDyl

I got a blanket for you... it has a pig in it.

Total ownage.

DOMS

Do you even think about what you're posting?

TJ Cline

No, never.

You were talking to me right??

DOMS

Who are you?

TJ Cline

I'm new here, my name is Adham Washington, will you be my friend?

DOMS

I have enough friends.

TJ Cline

I have weed

BigDyl

How did I know about that?

Total ownage.

Crono1000

can I be one of 'em?