ABC News/Univision: By Quentin Pinoteau
Agustin Fuentes works multiple construction jobs in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, a working class suburb east of Mexico City. Until recently, his nephew was studying in a public university in the nearby city of Puebla, thanks to the money sent to Agustin's family by a niece who cleans homes in Chicago.
But as wages get lower in the U.S., and job opportunities dwindle, funds sent from abroad have decreased, and Agustin's nephew can no longer afford to go to university.
"Two years ago my niece was sending my sister about 2,000 pesos ($150) every two weeks. Nowadays, she can only send us 1,200, 1,500 pesos ($95-115)," said Fuentes, whose voice quivered as he recalled the difficulties now faced by his family.
"They tell us that they can only work a few days a week when they used to work all week. My niece lost her job in an American family and now she is making piñatas to survive but it is nothing steady," Fuentes said. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
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