MIAMI -
MR ERIK Bengoche came to the United States with high hopes, ready
to sweat it out as a labourer and short-order cook, and expecting
to send home a modest stack of greenbacks.
But
about a year ago, work started drying up. Now he sits in the
parking lot of a home improvement store, hoping to pick up odd
jobs, and looking forward to Christmas day, when he will fly back
to Honduras.
'I owe three months rent. Sometimes you don't eat,' he said,
sitting on the curb under a shade tree. 'I want to go back.'
Low-wage immigrants like 25-year-old Bengoche find themselves on
the sharp edge of the US economy slump, and some are packing their
bags.
In October, a study by the Pew Hispanic Centre suggested the
number of undocumented immigrants in the United States was
declining after years of robust growth. It put the current
undocumented population at 11.9 million, down from 12.4 million a
year earlier. It also tracked fewer new arrivals.
The data followed the centre's earlier finding that non-citizen
immigrants were being hit particularly hard by the crumbling
economy.
In Florida, many had flocked to take advantage of a once
bustling construction industry. But it was one of the first
economic engines to sputter and stall when the mortgage crisis hit.
Others work in hotels and restaurants - businesses which are
suffering as tourism dips.
'Everything is about the economy. With the crisis here, there
are less jobs, so living here is apparently not as attractive as it
was until a few months ago,' said a Brazilian diplomat who has been
monitoring reverse migration to her home country.
Requesting anonymity, she described those most likely to head
home again as people who have been in the United States for two to
five years, 'not fluent in English', and 'unattached'. The Pew
Centre said many factors could be at play. A majority of US
immigrants come from Latin America, where economies have remained
stable relative to the United States. Another factor could be a
ramped-up immigration enforcement.
Mr Bengoche, for example, said it had become harder to get work
in big companies without identification papers proving legal status
in the United States.
Drivers licenses, once considered valid proof of ID, are
increasingly out of reach for undocumented immigrants, as officials
comply with new federal anti-terrorism laws clamping down on access
to such licenses without proper supporting documents.
Supporters of the restriction note that several 9/11 highjackers
managed to obtain licenses, which they used to board the planes
used in the 2001 attacks.
Immigrant advocates say the measure has pushed people like Mr
Bengoche further into the shadows, not to mention increasing the
difficulty in getting to work in a country known for its car
culture. Authorities are also ratcheting up deportations.
Economic woes are dragging down remittances too - money sent
home by immigrants to their families that often serves as a
lifeline.
The Inter-American Development Bank recently reported that three
million Latino immigrants stopped sending money home during the
last two years. Many Latin American countries are still seeing an
increase in remittances, but the increase has slowed.
'The reason remittances are down is because the US economy is
slowing down, and because the immigration climate is still very
negative,' said Mr Robert Meins, a remittance specialist at the
Inter-American Development Bank.
In some cases, he added, immigrants are dipping into their
savings to keep money flowing to loved ones.
'That's not to belittle how difficult they're finding it.
Migrants are extremely adept and very resilient,' he said.
In the meantime, US patrols are catching fewer immigrants on
treacherous desert hikes across the Mexican border, and in
overcrowded boats aiming for Florida's shoreline.
'I've lost my time,' said Mr Bengoche, who originally planned to
stay in the United States for at least five years. By Christmas, it
will be two. 'I thought there would be more work.'