“With the downturn in the economy, Mexicans residing in Santa Ana legally and illegally began to look south. In the city of about 325,000, this Mexican flight has manifested itself in a number of ways: Census data show a decline in the city’s Latino population. Schools report plummeting enrollment. Foreclosed homes abound in historically Mexican immigrant neighborhoods,” according to the O.C. Register.
The affect of this mass exodus of Mexicans has been brutal. Santa Ana businesses, from downtown wedding dress shops to Wal Mart, have suffered. Our schools have lost hundreds of students. The Register also published a separate article today about one family that took their daughters, who were honor students, back to Mexico. Now they are trying to survive while surrounded by violence. Continue reading