Living off immigrant money sent home from U.S., young Guatemalans don't want to work

By: JUAN CARLOS LLORCA - Associated Press | Tuesday, May 29, 2007 7:07 PM PDT ∞

SALCAJA, Guatemala -- Working and going to school have become optional in this highland Guatemalan town, thanks to a flood of U.S. dollars sent home by migrants living in the United States.

The family-run mills that produce brightly colored, hand-woven traditional fabrics have fallen quiet as their potential work force -- mostly young men -- hang out at the town's pool halls or video game salons, living off remittances and waiting to make their own journeys north.

"Kids have easy money, and the only thing they know how to do is spend it on video games," complained Salcaja Mayor Miguel Ovalle. "In this town, school attendance has fallen in part because many go to the U.S., and also because those who stay don't want to go to school."

Some 48,000 Guatemalans left between 2005-2006, almost all to the U.S., according to the Geneva-based International Immigration Organization, which also found that more than 1 million Guatemalans between the ages of 10 and 20 years old were getting U.S. remittances last year.

Last year, Guatemalans in the U.S. sent home more than $3.6 billion, of which $300 million went to some 300,000 people in the province of Quetzaltenango, home to Salcaja. That's a substantial cash flow in a $35 billion economy with an industrial output of just $6.7 billion last year as measured by gross domestic product.

Similar challenges are evident in other parts of Latin America, where remittances have made low-wage labor increasingly undesirable. In some places, local employers are being forced to raise salaries. In others, traditional industries are simply being abandoned.

"In many communities in Mexico and Central America, remittances have prompted a healthy competition among employers who offer better salaries because of the scarce work force, but dependence on remittances has also slowed local economic growth," said Eliseo Diaz, a researcher with the Tijuana, Mexico-based Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

In many Mexican communities, small businesses like auto and tire repair shops and plumbing services are disappearing. "For many people, it's much easier to spend the money they receive than go look for it, and when this happens, productivity is reduced, affecting their local economy," Diaz said.

During the 1980s and part of the 90s, almost every household in Salcaja had at least one loom, and weaving the fabric used for traditional Mayan skirts was the first way young men earned their own money.

Now, some mill owners have moved their looms to remote, rural villages with little or no migration, where people will work for a salary of 900 quetzales, or about $120 a month.

"The thing is that this work is really hard, and you earn very little," said Secundino Taracena, the owner of one mill. "It's easier for a young person to sit back and receive money" from the United States.

About 1,000 families in this town of 12,000 people receive their remittances through a finance and credit cooperative called Salcaja, R.L., which encourages the development of small businesses under its "More than Remittances" program.

"We want to foster investment, instead of consumption," said the cooperative's general manager, Romualdo Pizabaj.

But for many, like Franklin Robles, 32, who lived in Chicago and Trenton, N.J., for 10 years, wages will always be too low in Guatemala.

"None of the young guys are going to work for the 1,400 quetzales ($200) that you earn in a month," said Robles, currently unemployed. "And why would they study when someone who goes to school doesn't earn any more than that?"

Many simply bide their time until they can head north themselves, paying smugglers as much as $7,000 to guide them into the United States. Most migrants from Salcaja end up in Trenton or Chicago. Some are lucky enough to have parents who can bring them in legally.

"I don't want to study. It's boring," said Nery Raul Rodas, 14. "I'm just waiting for my dad to fix my papers so that I can go to the U.S. to work."

Guatemalan Deputy Foreign Relations Secretary, Marta Altolaguirre, acknowledged that many towns struggle to compete with remittances, but the government isn't overly worried about it.

"It's the least of our problems," she said. "The positive outweighs the negative."

Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodriguez contributed to this report from Mexico City.

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Nick wrote on May 30, 2007 12:30 AM:All the more reason to deport all those here Illegally and enforce our immigration laws. I bet they made all that money in agriculture doing those jobs lazy Americans won't do. Yeahhhh....right!

JK wrote on May 30, 2007 7:44 AM:And here we have it, the next generation of a foreign country feeding from the teet of the American tax payer, courtesy of their criminals relatives in our country. Their aspiration, not get an education and inmprove their own country, but to get their "papers" fixed and go to the US and supply businesses with cheap uneducated labor. The cycle continues due to our spineless politicians, how about speaking up, Darrel? Brian?

Marilyn wrote on May 30, 2007 7:56 AM:Ok, we now see that factories over there are now offering higher wages to get the lazy, uneducated bums to work and it hasn't helped at all. I guess this means that once they get to the states they will continue to bring down wages here, draw welfare, and of course refuse to get an education. Good for our economy? Yeah right!

Ursula wrote on May 30, 2007 8:59 AM:Yes, articles like this are very educating. However, a lot of information is been left out. This message is for the new generations that lack of information of how their parents, siblings or any relatives struggle in the States to make possible to send money home. Nobody comes to the States and starts making lost of money instantly, regardless of your background every body has to go thought the hassle of all kind of jobs. I am not taking about ejective jobs, I am talking about cleaning, maintenance jobs, construction jobs, babysitting jobs and if you don't have at least the minimum of understanding and communicating in English; a rude awakening is waiting for you. In conclusion, go to school give yourself the gift of knowledge, make a difference in your life as a contribution to society and your providers or even more important a precious contribution to yourself. Knowledge is power and survivorship. Now in response to Nick's comment, ignorance is a choice; looks like you leave happy with it.

Christoph wrote on May 30, 2007 9:19 AM:Just start legalizing the entry to the US and people will go back and forth without paying criminals to cross the boarder. Countries like Guatemala get the chance of good incomes and fair wages. US saves money by directly outsourcing jobs to Guatemala. I mean there are so much positive things people could do... Right now, this is great, the stupid, uneducated idiots stay in the poor country and waste the money their hard working family members make in the US. This situation doesn't help the US and Guatemala either.

gringochapin wrote on May 30, 2007 11:54 AM:ah, the hypocrisy of the anti-immigrant American...

factchecker wrote on May 30, 2007 11:56 AM:Marilyn says: "I guess this means that once they get to the states they will continue to bring down wages here, draw welfare, and of course refuse to get an education. Good for our economy? Yeah right! " Care to cite some statistics to back up your assertions? I didn't think so.

Says it all wrote on May 31, 2007 9:25 AM:This article really says it all doesnt it? We are supporting the whole world, losing billions of dolalrs a year not just to Mexico, but to Guatamala and other nations too. Mexico's 2nd biggfest source of revenue is $$ sent from the US. STOP THE BLEEDING!

Skip wrote on May 31, 2007 9:33 AM:I am really surprised that NCT would print a story like this one.

Skip wrote on May 31, 2007 9:34 AM:Just goes to prove that Illegal Aliens do not want to be American Citizens. They just want to make a buck.

SO THEY JUST WANT TO BE LEGAL wrote on May 31, 2007 9:35 AM:For the 12 to 20 million illegal Aliens that are poised, to become legal residents,if this bill passes as written, here is what the aliens who do NOT want to become U.S. citizens can expect: IF THE ALIENS ONLY WANT TO BE LEGAL FOREVER AND NOT BECOME U.S. CITIZENS, THEN THE FOLLOWING APPLIES : NO $5,000 FINE, NO TOUCHBACK, BACKGROUND CHECK OF ONLY 1 BUSINESS DAY, NO FINES OR PENALALTIES. ON THE OTHER HAND THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR ALL RIGHTS, BENIFITS, AND SERVICES DUE TO ANY AMERICAN CITIZEN. All they have to do is say they were in this country ILLEGALLY before January 1, 2007. Even the ones who are not here yet.

International Welfare State? wrote on May 31, 2007 9:53 AM:I wonder what kind of jobs these kids plan on getting here in the US? Video game tester?

You guys are so clueless. wrote on Jun 1, 2007 8:52 AM:I have LEGAL employees with FAKE green cards coming in to change their ss number to the correct legal one. Their deductions go from married and 9 to single and 0. They are here legally and STILL won't pay taxes. I would think most of us should be tired of carrying their lazy butts.

Harold wrote on Jun 1, 2007 1:01 PM:George Bush and Ted Kennedy will tell these people they are only to glad to help them out with american taxpayers money and jobs. Thank GW and Teddy that you don't have to work anymore and the american taxpayers and working class who are loosing our jobs and benefits to you.

Nick wrote on Jun 2, 2007 7:49 AM:To Ursula: It appears, my dear, that you are the ignorant one. You point out the obvious, that the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS are not here to do the jobs "Americans don't want", but they have invaded many different areas of employment. Name one fast food joint full of American teenagers, You Can't...Ooops, In N Out Burger. At least theres one. Illegals are in every fast food joint and every resturaunt kitchen in San Diego. Not exactly agriculture is it. In the construction idustry, certain trades(at least they used to be considered trades) are completely dominated by ILLEGALS. Let's see....landscaping(obvious), drywall, plaster, framing, roofing, and insulation. The only trades they can't seem to break into are plumbing and electrical, now why is that? Maybe because you need to have a lot of on the job training and schooling and our Unions won't put up with it. It's no wonder why the quality of homes built in the last 10 years have so many problems and warranty callbacks. It's due to a lack of educated and schooled employees. When American unemployment rates drop to an alltime low, maybe I will agree that we need 10's of millions of immigrant labor. If there are 20 million people here ILLEGALLY, why is the agriculture industry screaming about a labor shortage? Why? Because the ILLEGALS are not coming here to do those jobs, they are coming here to steal jobs away from hard working Americans. Put your money where your mouth is Ursula! Your dog won't hunt.

pass it on wrote on Jun 2, 2007 11:05 AM:send this story to every congress person you can

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