Mexico: migrant workers' remittances to the United States break records

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2 min

In the first six months of the year, Mexicans who went to work across the border sent their families $ 19 million, 10% more than last year over the same period. And this despite the coronavirus, which has caused a drop in employment in the United States in recent months. A resilience that allows millions of Mexican families to stay afloat.

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From our correspondent in Mexico , Alix Hardy

Salvador Resendiz works in the fields of Idaho, United States, but his heart is in Mexico, with his wife and two children whom he left in Jalpan de Serra, in the center of the country. Like all the guys in the village, Salvador went to the United States to find a better salary.

“  I grow beets, wheat, potatoes. An essential activity that the country cannot do without. I send 500 to 1000 dollars to my family twice a month. We save to build a house, with the pandemic it helps even more because my mother-in-law had to close her food stand and the money allows them to do the shopping . "

Like Salvador, millions of Mexican emigrants continued to send money to the country during the pandemic. The numbers are even records. An exploit which is explained in particular by the sense of the sacrifice of these workers, recalls the economist specializing in the subject José Cervantes. “  The purpose of these remittances is to improve the standard of living of the families who remain in Mexico. If the economy collapses, families need more money than ever before, and workers will rather tighten their belts in the United States and send more to Mexico . "

Two other factors made it possible to break this record: the Mexican peso which collapsed and makes sending dollars more advantageous than ever; and the fact that the pandemic comes after more than six years of continued growth in shipments, a sign that Mexican emigrants are making better and better living in the United States and have been able to save.

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• Mexico
• United States
• Coronavirus