Is Mexico so bad that people risk their lives to come to the U.S.?

Question

I've been to Mexico twice when I was younger so I don't remember much but is there a lot of slums there and poverty? My Uncle lived in a really nice neighborhood in Mexico City but he had a good job. Does the government mistreat the people there? I know it's a complicated issue and sort of a naive question but still. Or is it that the U.S. has such high paying jobs in comparison to Mexico? The Mexican minimum wage is $141.70 pesos according to google which converts to $7.11 U.S. Dollars. They can't be coming over here for our hamburgers or women. LOL, but seriously are they escaping cartel violence? Is it the safety of the U.S.? because the U.S.  isn't that safe.

Gypsyfish · Answer

Like most countries, there's a wide range of socioeconomic levels in Mexico. There are wealthy people, and a much bigger middle class than most people realize. Most of the people who come to the US come from the agricultural areas. Those jobs pay very little, and they're very hard work. Not many middle class Mexicans want to come here. Anyway, most of the people at the border now trying to come in are NOT Mexicans. They are from Honduras and Guatamala, where conditions are worse, more people are poor, the crime rates are horrible, and the governments are harsh/worthless. Just as an example, I will tell that many US cruise ships visit Mexican ports, and people enjoy the Mexican towns. When I was on a ship that docked in Honduras, we were told not to leave the port building because it was too dangerous. There are marauding robbers. That's why people are leaving there. They come THROUGH Mexico to get to the border, and that's a huge problem for Mexico. 
Cartel violence is only serious in Mexico along the border- that's because it's mostly people in the US who buy the drugs, so the cartel operate at the border where they can smuggle things across.

Is Mexico so bad that people risk their lives to come to the U.S.?

1 Answer