Mexican towns benefit from U.S. connections

Villa Juarez is located in the state of San Luis Potosi

By Joel Hochmuth
CNN NEWSROOM

VILLA JUAREZ, Mexico (CNN) -- It is an aspect of the immigration story that goes largely untold. As millions of Mexicans leave for a chance at a better life in the United States, they aren't just changing American society, but society in their homeland as well.

Take, for example, the town of Villa Juarez, in the state of San Luis Potosi, the geographic center of Mexico.

This largely agricultural community has 13,000 residents, most of whom have the same surname, "Izaguirre," though most are not directly related.

But the village is undergoing a transformation of sorts. It has lost five thousand residents in the last five years alone, most headed for the U.S. Most of those migrating are young men, leaving behind mainly women, children and the elderly.

VIDEO CNN's Joel Hochmuth reports on how Villa Juarez benefits from an influx of U.S. dollars Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Harris Whitbeck looks at a small Mexican village that is prospering from migrant dollars Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES From HRW: Map of Mexico     HRW Geo Treks: Mexico

It's no wonder so many have left. One of the only consistent jobs in town is at a garment factory that employs about 100 workers. Wages are about $35 per week.

Jose Antonio Izaguirre, 18, dreams of living in the U.S., although he says he would not resort to immigrating illegally.

"I see the way my parents live, and say, 'Oh no, not that.' You always think if you get married and have kids, you would want to leave to be able to give them something better, because it is very backwards here," he says.

'I am used to being alone'

Sofia Izaguirre, 43, is a shopkeeper struggling to raise three children on her own. Her husband left for the U.S. about 15 years ago and returns home once each year at Christmas.

It is a lifestyle Sofia Izaguirre has learned to tolerate, but certainly not embrace. "Well, it hasn't been difficult," she says stoically. "I am used to being alone already."

Her situation is in many ways symbolic of the town as a whole. While she misses her husband, she couldn't make ends meet without the check he sends once a week or so from a variety of odd jobs he holds down in the Atlanta area.

Those checks average about $200 to $300 each, an impossible income if he still lived in Villa Juarez.

It is that kind of cash flowing back in that is the lifeblood of towns like Villa Juarez. Experts say Mexican immigrants in the U.S. pump about six billion dollars each year back into the economy of their homeland, making it one of the country's leading sources of foreign exchange behind oil and tourism.

Victor Garcia Almazan, Mayor -- or President, as he is called in Mexico -- of Villa Juarez, says 50 percent of the disposable income in Villa Juarez is earned in the United States.

Without that money, the place would likely be a ghost town.

Instead, it is a town in limbo -- stuck somewhere between poverty and prosperity. While it has its share of run-down abandoned housing, there is also a construction boom of sorts here -- funded by migrant dollars.

For the last 20 years, Roberto Izaguirre, 50, has split his life between the United States and Mexico, making the most of his money in construction north of the border, and spending much of it south.

He has invested about $50,000 in improvements to a retirement home in Villa Juarez.

He says he and his wife, Gloria Izaguirre, 47, prefer the tranquil lifestyle in Mexico.

Fausto Luna Huerta of Atlanta, throws a $50,000 15th birthday bash for his daughter, Marisol Luna, in her mother's hometown, Villa Juarez.

"It is less stressful, and there is less pressure from street traffic, from a boss, from the police in the U.S. Here you can lead a very basic, but enjoyable, tranquil life," she says.

Of course, it also helps that the dollar goes much further in Mexico. The three bedroom home, while modest by American standards, is luxurious compared to others in Villa Juarez.

But perhaps his real reason for returning here is that there's no place like home.

"I am still one hundred percent Mexican, forever. My traditions, my way of being, my blood and my peace of mind is in Mexico," says Roberto Izaguirre.

It is that kind of loyalty that may be the last hope for towns like Villa Juarez. Ultimately, it will need people - not just their cash- to survive.