Former Mexican President Says Most Undocumented Immigrants Don't Want to Become US Citizens David Sirota - IBTimes
go to original January 25, 2015

Felipe Calderon, chairman of the Global Commission on Economy and Climate, speaks during the "Closing the Climate Deal" session at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos Jan. 22, 2015. (Reuters/Ruben Sprich)

The crackdown on illegal immigration combined with intensified border security has prompted large numbers of undocumented Mexican laborers to remain in the U.S. permanently - even as many prefer to go home - out of fear they will never be able to return, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon told International Business Times. In an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Calderon, who was president from 2006 to 2012, characterized the primary motive of undocumented Mexican immigrants as economic.

Many are simply seeking to stay in the U.S. for a few years to earn money before returning home with cash to build houses and support families, he said. But the American border crackdown has made the crossing so treacherous and expensive, many unauthorized immigrants already in the U.S. are staying put rather than risk being shut out forever, Calderon said.  

“Many of them are currently trapped,” Calderon told IBTimes. “There are a lot of these people [who] want to be in Mexico eight months every year, but they are unable to go there, because if they cross the border, they will never be able to cross back again.”

Calderon said he believes U.S. lawmakers should consider adding provisions to proposed immigration legislation that would permit “temporary work in a massive way,” but without giving immigrants automatic citizenship.

Read the rest at IBTimes

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