Number of Mexicans Who Leave the United States Increases

January 20, 2016

Unlocking Word Meanings
 今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. depart / dɪˈpɑrt / (v.) – to leave
Example: The plane will depart in ten minutes.

2. recession / rɪˈsɛʃ ən / (n.) – a general drop in economic activity
Example: Many companies closed down during the recession.

3. deportation / di pɔrˈteɪ ʃən / (n.) – the removal of a person from a country
Example:  You risk deportation if you stay in a foreign country with an expired visa.

4. homeland / hoʊm lænd / (n.) – the native land of a person or a group of people
Example: Our family returned to our homeland after twenty years.

5. reversal / rɪˈvɜr səl / (n.) – a turn into the opposite direction
Example: He did not expect a reversal in the number of applicants.


Article
 ニュース記事

Read the text below.
There are currently more Mexicans departing than entering the United States, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

The study reported that one million Mexicans and their families, including US-born children, returned to Mexico from the United States from 2009 to 2014. It also reported that 870,000 Mexicans arrived in the United States from Mexico during the same period. This has cut down the number of Mexicans in the United States, with legal standing or otherwise, from 12.8 million in 2007 to 11.7 million in 2014. It also ties Mexicans and Asians in having the largest proportion of immigrants in the United States.

It was the expanding US economy in the 1990s that sparked the Mexican immigration boom in the country. However, the slow economic recovery of the United States after the recession, as well as a stable economy and a declining birthrate in Mexico, compelled Mexicans in the United States to return to Mexico. Stricter enforcement of immigration laws leading to increased deportation and a desire to see the families they left behind are also significant factors behind their return to their homeland.

Reactions to the departure have been mixed. Some presidential candidates, like Donald Trump, encourage tougher immigration laws in spite of the reversal in the population of Mexican immigrants. Meanwhile, Professor Louis DeSipio of the University of California, Irvine, asserted that immigration laws should be loosened so that the US economy can retain a stable labor supply.

Viewpoint Discussion
 ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Why do you think people immigrate to other countries? Enumerate as many reasons as you can.
·         Do you think having many immigrants in your country is good or bad? Explain your answer.

Discussion B

·         If you could move to any country permanently, where would it be and why?
·         What country would you never want to live in? Please explain your answer.

January 20, 2016