ilbegone
01-04-2010, 05:50 PM
Migrants stay in U.S. for the holidays
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
01/02/2010
The economic crisis, coupled with rising violence in Mexico, prompted fewer immigrants to travel south of the border for the holidays in 2009, Mexican officials said.
Many Mexican immigrants decided to skip traditional Christmas vacations because they lost their jobs and couldn't afford the trip, according to the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino.
The consulate serves San Bernardino and Riverside counties, home to nearly 1.6 million people of Mexican origin.
"Unfortunately, the bad economic situation here and in Mexico has affected travel," said Federico Bass, the consulate's director of political affairs. "Fewer people have the resources to make the trip and take gifts to family members and pay for gas and food along the way."
The consulate issues permits that are required for legal residents and U.S. citizens to drive their vehicles in Mexico for up to six months.
The number of permits issued declined about 20percent for the first three weeks of December compared to the same period in 2008, Bass said.
Laura Medina, a 38-year-old Mexican immigrant, said she was laid off in June from her job at a plating company. So she was unable to make her annual Christmas visit to Mexico City with her 4-year-old daughter.
"I usually go once or twice a year, but this year for the holidays I couldn't afford it," Medina said. "It's sad because the way people celebrate Christmas in Mexico is very beautiful."
The drop in holiday visitors is another blow to the reeling Mexican tourism industry, which was crippled by the outbreak of the H1N1 virus in the spring.
Another problem is the epidemic of drug-fueled violence wracking the country. Warring drug cartels have been locked in a bloody battle with Mexican law enforcement agencies seeking to shut down their operations.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert in August urging U.S. citizens to delay travel to certain parts of Mexico and exercise extreme caution in other areas of the country.
Robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings have increased over the past year, especially in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and other border cities, the alert says.
"I know a lot of people that don't want to go," said Miguel Garcia, a native of Mexico who became a U.S. citizen two years ago. "It's not because of the economy. It's because of the violence in Mexico."
Flying to Mexico is much safer than driving, he said.
"My brother just drove there a couple weeks ago," said Garcia, 30. "He said the security checkpoints are very intense. They have the military and the police checking every vehicle for drugs."
Mexican officials don't deny that some people are afraid to travel because of the violence.
"We recognize that it is a difficult situation, but it is not out of control," Bass said. "We feel that our country is safe as long as you take the necessary precautions that every traveler should take anywhere in the world."
Most people who decided not to visit Mexico this holiday season did so for economic reasons, he said.
"It's a minority that don't go because they are afraid of the violence," Bass said.
Local travel agents say they have experienced a huge decrease in customers booking flights to Mexico.
"We had about a 50 percent drop in our business (last) year," said Patricio Guillen, who runs Quetzal Services, a travel agency in San Bernardino. "Those that are very low-income and unemployed are not going."
There are other factors besides the poor economy and crime concerns that contribute to the decline in travel, said Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, a nonprofit that provides immigration and other services to Latinos.
The United States has imposed tougher restrictions on the ability of legal residents with prior criminal convictions to re-enter the country, Amaya said.
In addition, travelers to Mexico are now required to have a U.S. passport to get back in the country. Amaya said many Mexicans who became U.S. citizens can't afford a passport.
"All these things mean that many people are not going back to Mexico as usual," Amaya said.
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
01/02/2010
The economic crisis, coupled with rising violence in Mexico, prompted fewer immigrants to travel south of the border for the holidays in 2009, Mexican officials said.
Many Mexican immigrants decided to skip traditional Christmas vacations because they lost their jobs and couldn't afford the trip, according to the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino.
The consulate serves San Bernardino and Riverside counties, home to nearly 1.6 million people of Mexican origin.
"Unfortunately, the bad economic situation here and in Mexico has affected travel," said Federico Bass, the consulate's director of political affairs. "Fewer people have the resources to make the trip and take gifts to family members and pay for gas and food along the way."
The consulate issues permits that are required for legal residents and U.S. citizens to drive their vehicles in Mexico for up to six months.
The number of permits issued declined about 20percent for the first three weeks of December compared to the same period in 2008, Bass said.
Laura Medina, a 38-year-old Mexican immigrant, said she was laid off in June from her job at a plating company. So she was unable to make her annual Christmas visit to Mexico City with her 4-year-old daughter.
"I usually go once or twice a year, but this year for the holidays I couldn't afford it," Medina said. "It's sad because the way people celebrate Christmas in Mexico is very beautiful."
The drop in holiday visitors is another blow to the reeling Mexican tourism industry, which was crippled by the outbreak of the H1N1 virus in the spring.
Another problem is the epidemic of drug-fueled violence wracking the country. Warring drug cartels have been locked in a bloody battle with Mexican law enforcement agencies seeking to shut down their operations.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert in August urging U.S. citizens to delay travel to certain parts of Mexico and exercise extreme caution in other areas of the country.
Robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings have increased over the past year, especially in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and other border cities, the alert says.
"I know a lot of people that don't want to go," said Miguel Garcia, a native of Mexico who became a U.S. citizen two years ago. "It's not because of the economy. It's because of the violence in Mexico."
Flying to Mexico is much safer than driving, he said.
"My brother just drove there a couple weeks ago," said Garcia, 30. "He said the security checkpoints are very intense. They have the military and the police checking every vehicle for drugs."
Mexican officials don't deny that some people are afraid to travel because of the violence.
"We recognize that it is a difficult situation, but it is not out of control," Bass said. "We feel that our country is safe as long as you take the necessary precautions that every traveler should take anywhere in the world."
Most people who decided not to visit Mexico this holiday season did so for economic reasons, he said.
"It's a minority that don't go because they are afraid of the violence," Bass said.
Local travel agents say they have experienced a huge decrease in customers booking flights to Mexico.
"We had about a 50 percent drop in our business (last) year," said Patricio Guillen, who runs Quetzal Services, a travel agency in San Bernardino. "Those that are very low-income and unemployed are not going."
There are other factors besides the poor economy and crime concerns that contribute to the decline in travel, said Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, a nonprofit that provides immigration and other services to Latinos.
The United States has imposed tougher restrictions on the ability of legal residents with prior criminal convictions to re-enter the country, Amaya said.
In addition, travelers to Mexico are now required to have a U.S. passport to get back in the country. Amaya said many Mexicans who became U.S. citizens can't afford a passport.
"All these things mean that many people are not going back to Mexico as usual," Amaya said.