Finance International News Opinons Politics Southern Border Trade

Mexican Migrants Sent Record $36B In Remittances In 2019

Instability in Mexico and Latin America drove a wave of migrant workers to send a record amount of remittances to their home countries in 2019. Mexico’s Central Bank reported that Mexican migrants working overseas sent home a record-high $36 billion in remittances in 2019, a 7 percent increase from 2018.

According to a study from the Inter-American Dialogue, between 2016 and 2017, remittances to Mexico increased by 12 percent, a sharp rise from previous years.

Beginning in the late 1980s, Mexico transitioned from a closed economy to a market-oriented economy. Mexico further accelerated its market-based economy by entering into the NAFTA agreement in 1994 and exports became a major source of revenue. Still, Mexico is highly dependent on the United States for exports and remittances. Remittances replaced oil exports as Mexico’s largest source of foreign exchange, according to a Congressional Research Service report.


Park Police officer shot in Southeast DC suffers non life-threatening injuries as probe unfolds
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary with support from 2 Democrats
Mullin confirmed as DHS chief as lawmakers near solution on shutdown standoff
Duffy, Hochul, Mamdani come together after LaGuardia plane crash: ‘Politics fade away’
Top House Dem dismisses probe into Jasmine Crockett’s security guard killed in SWAT standoff
Air Traffic Controller Caught on Tape Following Airplane Crash at LaGuardia: ‘I Messed Up’
NJ man crawls through window, attempts to sexually assault girl before being subdued by resident: police
Supreme Court May Be Poised to Strike Down Acceptance of Mail-In Ballots After Election Day, Following Oral Argument Comments
All shook up: Surreal scenes as Trump tours Graceland, musing if he could fight Elvis
Top Dems assert there’s risk ICE agents could ‘kill’ travelers under Trump airport plan
DNC’s suggestive post about Mamdani’s pothole blitz leaves social media speechless: ‘Wtf is this???’
Jewish Ambulance Service Had Its Vehicles Set on Fire, Triggering Hate-Crime Probe by Police: Report
Underperforming California school district paying enormous sum to teach kids with a ‘rap curriculum’
London police investigating Iran ties to Jewish ambulance arson after terrorist group claims responsibility
Ex-girlfriend, 3 others nabbed in killing tied to alleged murder-for-hire plot in ‘unusual’ case: police


From foreign tourism, Mexico receives about $25 billion while only $22.4 billion in annual petroleum exports.

See also  House oversight committee interviews former Epstein lawyer Darren Indyke

Mexico’s poverty rate remains high despite its openness to the international economic system. The poverty rate stands at 41.9 percent as of 2018 according to the International Monetary Fund. People working in the subsistence farming or informal sector of the economy are among Mexico’s poorest citizens and are especially reliant on remittances from the U.S. to pay for basic essential needs.

Remittance flows could remain high with Mexico’s economy projected to remain sluggish. The International Monetary Fund predicts meager economic growth for Mexico at 1 percent in 2020. Mexico’s 2019 third-quarter growth remained stagnant as well.

The rise in remittances from the United States to Mexico is happening alongside an overall downside trajectory in immigration from Mexican migrants to the U.S.

Across the wider Latin America region, remittances grew by 4.7 percent in 2019, according to a study published by Manuel Orozco, director of the Migration, Remittances, and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue.


Park Police officer shot in Southeast DC suffers non life-threatening injuries as probe unfolds
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary with support from 2 Democrats
Mullin confirmed as DHS chief as lawmakers near solution on shutdown standoff
Duffy, Hochul, Mamdani come together after LaGuardia plane crash: ‘Politics fade away’
Top House Dem dismisses probe into Jasmine Crockett’s security guard killed in SWAT standoff
Air Traffic Controller Caught on Tape Following Airplane Crash at LaGuardia: ‘I Messed Up’
NJ man crawls through window, attempts to sexually assault girl before being subdued by resident: police
Supreme Court May Be Poised to Strike Down Acceptance of Mail-In Ballots After Election Day, Following Oral Argument Comments
All shook up: Surreal scenes as Trump tours Graceland, musing if he could fight Elvis
Top Dems assert there’s risk ICE agents could ‘kill’ travelers under Trump airport plan
DNC’s suggestive post about Mamdani’s pothole blitz leaves social media speechless: ‘Wtf is this???’
Jewish Ambulance Service Had Its Vehicles Set on Fire, Triggering Hate-Crime Probe by Police: Report
Underperforming California school district paying enormous sum to teach kids with a ‘rap curriculum’
London police investigating Iran ties to Jewish ambulance arson after terrorist group claims responsibility
Ex-girlfriend, 3 others nabbed in killing tied to alleged murder-for-hire plot in ‘unusual’ case: police

See also  Markwayne Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary with support from 2 Democrats

Mass protests and civil unrest across Central and Latin America were a primary factor in the rise of remittances. Although there are many diverse motivations for the movements that spread across Latin America, there are some similarities shared. People in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Colombia rose up in protest against political corruption and ineptitude, and the respective governments’ overall lack of responsiveness in dealing with social services.

According to global trends, remittance flows were down slightly in the fourth quarter of 2019 and was 6.8 percent. The global average for remittance transfers has remained below 8 percent since 2014, according to the World Bank.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter