HispanicBusiness

MEXICO CITY -- Remittances to Mexico over the first three months of the year totaled a record-setting $2.01 billion, officials said Tuesday.

The figure is based on verifiable data provided by Mexico's central bank and excludes other, unverifiable means of sending money, according to Juan Hernandez, director of the Presidential Office for Mexicans Abroad.

During the same time period last year, remittances totaled just $1.29 billion, the presidential adviser stated, citing Banco de Mexico figures.

If current trends continue, remittances from Mexican workers in the United States in 2001 could surpass $8 billion, nearly 22 percent more than last year's total of $6.57 billion.

"What's most impressive is that the numbers of [Mexican] migrants have dropped, but the amount of money has increased, and that indicates confidence in Mexico by our fellow countrymen," Hernandez said. "They feel included in the new Mexico," he added.

According to reports by the U.S. Border Patrol and Mexican border groups, illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexican border has decreased more than 20 percent in recent months, Hernandez said, noting that the exact numbers are extremely difficult to calculate.