Growers Feeling Pinch Of Reported Net Loss Of Mexican Immigrants
By Kelly Ryan
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — New research suggests more immigrants are leaving the United States and returning to Mexico than are entering the country.
Growers in the Sacramento region say it's no surprise to them, and they're struggling to find the workers they had in the past.
Mat Conant of Conant Orchards in Sutter County is having trouble with his walnut harvest as many of his workers from Mexico aren't sticking around.
"Used to be that the same people came back every year and worked all year," he said.
That's in line with a new study published by the Pew Research Center showing more Mexicans are leaving the United States than coming in. The study from 2009 to 2014 found slightly more than 1 million Mexicans and their families left the U.S. for Mexico. At the same time, 870,000 Mexicans came to the u.S.
The study points to several reasons for the slowdown, including a desire to reunited with families and a U.S. economy that's been slow to recover.
The Latino Coalition For A Healthy California confirms this, saying the drop in migration to the U.S. has been happening for awhile, coinciding with an emerging middle class in Mexico with greater opportunities in higher education and the workplace.
For Conant and other growers, that means a dwindling workforce of seasonal workers to bring in the harvest.
"I haven't got the magic bullet the solution to the problem and I've got to come up with a better solution for next year because this year was ridiculous," he said.
