Helping the local economy...

Debate grows on whether Mexico overestimates money sent home by migrants
Remittances usually refer to money sent home by migrants to help their families survive while their breadwinners are abroad. But what the government lists as "Family Remittances" may in fact be counting business payments between individuals as well.

When narrowly defined, remittances may amount to only about US$9.65 (euro7.97) billion annually, much less than the US$16.6 (euro13.7) billion the government reported for 2004, said Rodolfo Tuiran, an official of the Social Development Secretariat who helped carry out a study that yielded the lower figure.

Only $9.65 billion?!?!?! Much less that the (more accurate) $16.6 billion!

Mexico's central bank had reported a 24-percent increase in remittances from 2003 to 2004, surpassing tourism revenues as the country's second-largest source of foreign currency after oil sales.

Remittances continued to grow at a 20-percent clip in the first quarter of 2005, the Bank of Mexico reported.

Simple math: More illegals = more money!

Of the nearly 11 million people born in Mexico living abroad, 98 percent of them reside in the United States.

So a Mexican official made up a study that showed a lower number. So what? I could make a study that shows a higher number, especially if I could do it on government time and with government resources.

The bottom line is that an astonishing amount of money that should be kept in the local economy leaves this country for Mexico every year. Even better let's imagine this scenario:

Juan comes to this country illegaly, (law violation #1) he brings his wife and three children whom are enrolled in public school, ($30,000 a year education) he gets a job, (law violation #2) with the help of a false SSN, (law violation #3) or he gets an ITIN. (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, the SSA is kind enough to assist illegal aliens in commision of their crimes)

Now Juan only makes $20,000 a year so he pays absolutely no federal income tax. Now with his ITIN he files his taxes and claims his wife and 3 kids as dependents. The federal government then sends him a tax rebate (remember, he paid $0 dollars in federal taxes) of around $3,000 which he promptly sends to Mexico.

Gosh, I wonder why Vicente Fox keeps encouraging the invasion of our country...