Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)

The present article aims at shedding some light to the question whether Mexico´s boom in remittances between 2015 and 2021 was the result of low rates of unemployment in the USA or of higher revenues of drug trafficking made by Mexican Criminal Groups. We found that Mexican migration to the USA too...

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Main Authors: Gerardo Reyes Guzmán, Marco Antonio Escobar Acevedo, Perla Esperanza Rostro Hernández
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2022-10-01
Series:Norteamérica
Online Access:https://www.revistanorteamerica.unam.mx/index.php/nam/article/view/602
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author Gerardo Reyes Guzmán
Marco Antonio Escobar Acevedo
Perla Esperanza Rostro Hernández
author_facet Gerardo Reyes Guzmán
Marco Antonio Escobar Acevedo
Perla Esperanza Rostro Hernández
author_sort Gerardo Reyes Guzmán
collection DOAJ
description The present article aims at shedding some light to the question whether Mexico´s boom in remittances between 2015 and 2021 was the result of low rates of unemployment in the USA or of higher revenues of drug trafficking made by Mexican Criminal Groups. We found that Mexican migration to the USA took off up 2019 and accelerated with Covid-19 pandemic. Since higher rates of unemployment matched with larger number of remittances and a spike in drug overdose deaths in the USA, a hypothesis aroused stating that Mexican remittances could be related to drug trafficking revenues. An Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) found a normal negative correlation (not causation) between US-unemployment rate and remittances from 2015 to 2019 but an abnormal negative correlation from 2020 to 2021. We conclude that the record level in Mexican remittances between 2020 and 2021 could be the result of an increase in Mexican migration but also from a windfall in drug trafficking earnings mirrored in a spike of drug overdose deaths in the USA.
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id doaj-art-cbb5811e85524fe2adce5d3cf151822a
institution OA Journals
issn 1870-3550
2448-7228
language English
publishDate 2022-10-01
publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
record_format Article
series Norteamérica
spelling doaj-art-cbb5811e85524fe2adce5d3cf151822a2025-08-20T01:51:17ZengUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoNorteamérica1870-35502448-72282022-10-0118110.22201/cisan.24487228e.2023.1.602Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)Gerardo Reyes Guzmán0Marco Antonio Escobar Acevedo1Perla Esperanza Rostro Hernández2Universidad de la Salle BajíoUniversidad de la Salle BajíoUniversidad de la Salle Bajío The present article aims at shedding some light to the question whether Mexico´s boom in remittances between 2015 and 2021 was the result of low rates of unemployment in the USA or of higher revenues of drug trafficking made by Mexican Criminal Groups. We found that Mexican migration to the USA took off up 2019 and accelerated with Covid-19 pandemic. Since higher rates of unemployment matched with larger number of remittances and a spike in drug overdose deaths in the USA, a hypothesis aroused stating that Mexican remittances could be related to drug trafficking revenues. An Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) found a normal negative correlation (not causation) between US-unemployment rate and remittances from 2015 to 2019 but an abnormal negative correlation from 2020 to 2021. We conclude that the record level in Mexican remittances between 2020 and 2021 could be the result of an increase in Mexican migration but also from a windfall in drug trafficking earnings mirrored in a spike of drug overdose deaths in the USA. https://www.revistanorteamerica.unam.mx/index.php/nam/article/view/602
spellingShingle Gerardo Reyes Guzmán
Marco Antonio Escobar Acevedo
Perla Esperanza Rostro Hernández
Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
Norteamérica
title Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
title_full Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
title_fullStr Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
title_full_unstemmed Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
title_short Mexico: Remittances, Organized Crime and US Drug Overdose Crisis in Borderlands (2015-2021)
title_sort mexico remittances organized crime and us drug overdose crisis in borderlands 2015 2021
url https://www.revistanorteamerica.unam.mx/index.php/nam/article/view/602
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AT marcoantonioescobaracevedo mexicoremittancesorganizedcrimeandusdrugoverdosecrisisinborderlands20152021
AT perlaesperanzarostrohernandez mexicoremittancesorganizedcrimeandusdrugoverdosecrisisinborderlands20152021