American 'illegals' in Mexico

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Puerto Vallarta draws many US visitors - some of whom stay for longer than they should

The issue of undocumented Mexican migrants in America is widely reported. But what about the thousands of Americans living illegally south of the border? Mexico Direct looks at why they come, and why Mexicans aren't yet making an issue about it.

When Jessica departed the US early in 2011, she left a country where illegal immigration is rarely off the political agenda.

Little did she imagine she herself would become an 'alien' - in Mexico.

She came to Puerto Vallarta, a tourist resort on the Pacific coast, to work legally for a Mexican company. She took a second job to earn extra money, first in an internet cafe and then a restaurant.

But her employers - also Americans - never filled in the paperwork to make her second job legal.

"I insisted, but they told me it wasn't necessary, that they would pay me in cash every night and it was fine," she tells the BBC.

"It was clearly illegal for me to work there, but I did not take the authorities in Mexico seriously. My employers then found themselves in legal trouble and I feared I could face deportation, so I quit."

Last year about 1,000 US citizens were questioned over irregularities in their immigration status, according to Mexican authorities. They face a modest fine - up to $50 - if officials find them working without a permit or living in Mexico without proper documents.

Those who lose their visas or are asked to leave the country and then discovered to be overstaying are fined up to $400.

But the National Migration Institute in Mexico has no idea just how many Americans are living or working illegally in Mexico.

There are no advocacy groups defending American aliens in Mexico. Mexican politicians haven't raised it as a major issue - a far cry from the controversy around illegal migration on the other side of the border.

With thousands of people from Central America crossing into Mexico illegally every year, and the threat from drug gangs and human traffickers on their way to the US, the presence of undocumented Americans is considered little more than a minor issue for Mexico's immigration services.

No one really knows how many of them there are in Mexico.”

Some are Americans tourists who decide to extend their stay in Mexico without notifying the authorities, or students who wish to earn extra money teaching English in Mexico City. Others just fall in love with the Latin American lifestyle.

"No one really knows how many of them there are in Mexico. They are usually people who live for a while in Mexico and then return home. They do not stay indefinitely," says Monica Mora, an expert on American migration in Mexico.

[readon1 url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radioand-tv17098719"]Source:www.bbc.co.uk[/readon1]