Stay: Migration and poverty in rural Mexico

The immigration debate in the United States centers on patrolling the border with Mexico, which is the source of 60 percent of all unauthorized immigration to this country. Nevertheless, the unauthorized immigrant population here has tripled from 3.5 million people in 1990 to more than 11 million in 2010.

Why is that?

Well, border enforcement doesn’t get to the root of why people leave their home countries: to escape poverty, to support their families. No border police will keep a determined mother, father, sister, or brother from finding a way to feed his or her kids, parents, or siblings. In 2009, 96 percent of U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico was spent on military and drug enforcement. What if that money were instead invested in programs that help people support their families at home?

Marvin Garcia Salas, 52, and Santiago Cruz, 48, are two men who immigrated—separately—to the United States and to Canada. They are now back home in Mexico and able to support themselves and their families with the help of organizations investing time and resources in rural areas of the country. Watch the video to learn more about their lives.

- Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World