Survey says fewer Mexicans are sending money home

WASHINGTON (AP) - One in three Mexican migrants living in states where Hispanic migration is relatively new stopped sending money home this year. Anti-immigrant sentiment may be to blame, the Inter-American Development Bank reported Wednesday.

In states considered "new destination" states for Latinos, such as Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, only 56 percent of Mexican migrants said they sent money home, compared to 80 percent the previous year. Migrants in these states previously had the highest remittance rate.

By contrast, the rate of remittance for the first six months of this year was 66 percent - down from 68 percent - in states where Latino immigrants have traditionally lived, such as Texas, California and New Mexico. An estimated 10.4 million Mexican immigrant adults are living in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau.

Overall, 64 percent of Mexicans returned money they earned in the U.S. to their native country, compared to 71 percent in the first six months of 2006, the bank's annual survey found.

Remittances totaled $11.5 billion from January to June, compared to $11.42 billion last year. The Central Bank of Mexico has reported remittances from the U.S. totaled $23.1 billion in 2006. The Inter-American bank projected only a .6 percent increase this year.

For more on this story read Thursday's Brownsville Herald.