Number of Mexican Immigrants Down Nationally; Steady Locally
A recent study shows the number of Mexican immigrants is decreasing for the first in a couple of decades.
The Pew Hispanic Center released the study on Tuesday, and it showed that the number of illegal immigrants decreased 12% from 2007 to 2011.
However, the numbers seem to be pretty steady in Tri-Cities, atleast according to Pasco-based immigration lawyer Tom Roach.
"This is ag country, this is where these people come to do the work that we refuse to do," Roach said. "So the Tri-Cities...haven't see any significant differences, increasing, decreasing, it's probably staying the same."
The study suggested the down economy in the United States helped either keep Mexicans in Mexico or forced them to head back for better opportunities.