Statistics

Migrationpolicy.org

Within the last two decades, immigration to the United States has reached an all time high, from countries all over the world.  Latin American countries followed this trend, as noted by the light blue section in the chart above.  Although Mexican immigrants are not the largest immigrant population in the United States, they have the highest percentage of undocumented immigrants, and the majority of Mexican immigrants are unauthorized.  Of the approximate 6.7 million Mexican immigrants in the United States, sixty two percent, or 4.15 million are unauthorized (Brick, Challinor, and Rosenblum 4).  The majority of this unauthorized population used to be men but as poverty in Mexico was feminized, the number of women crossing the border substantially increased. 

Migrationpolicy.org

                Women are the majority of the 1.5 million people who live on $1 a day or less.   Many of these women work extremely hard, only to have their labor go unrecognized and un rewarded.  They are also denied land, inheritance, and credit, critical resources to any person.  These women cannot afford healthcare or even food sometimes, and they do not have an education (Division for the Advancement of Women).  The cycle of poverty is when their socioeconomic status and lack of resources cause women to drop out of school, or not get the education necessary to get a good job, and without a good job they cannot make good money, and are stuck staying poor (Student Labor Action Project).  These women are caught in the cycle of poverty, and do not have the resources necessary to get out of the cycle.  These conditions and the never ending cycle of poverty is leading more and more women to cross the border than ever before.  They have dreams and hopes of finally breaking this cycle once they get on their feet in the United States, but sadly, many women stay stuck in this cycle even when they get to the United States.