Discussion Americans are flooding into Mexico City

13Gigatons

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Apr 19, 2005
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Mexico City residents angered by influx of Americans speaking English, gentrifying area:

An influx of Californians and other Americans has made its way to Mexico City, angering some locals who say they are gentrifying the area, according to a report.

The Los Angeles Times report on Wednesday outlined how some Mexican locals are “fed up” with the growing number of Americans, many from California, moving to and visiting the country, which has contributed to a rise in rent and a shift from Spanish to English in some places.

“New to the city? Working remotely?” fliers popping up around Mexico City reportedly said. “You’re a f—ing plague and the locals f—ing hate you. Leave.”

The article outlines how Americans have brought a scent of “new-wave” imperialism as taquerias and corner stores have slowly transformed into coffee shops and Pilates studios.

English is also reportedly becoming more prevalent as more Americans are moving to and visiting Mexico City to take advantage of lower rent and the ability to stay in Mexico for six months without a visa.

“We’re the only brown people,” Fernando Bustos Gorozpe, a 38-year-old writer and university professor, told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re the only people speaking Spanish except the waiters.”
Mexico city
The surge in Americans is causing some areas of Mexico City to shift from Spanish to English.
Bustos later posted a video on TikTok saying that the influx of Americans “stinks of modern colonialism” and nearly 2,000 people responded in agreement.

“Mexico is classist and racist,” Bustos added. “People with white skin are given preference. Now, if a local wants to go to a restaurant or a club, they don’t just have to compete with rich, white Mexicans but with foreigners too.”

The article also pointed to a social media post online where a young American said, “Do yourself a favor and remote work in Mexico City – is truly magical.”

The tweet received many negative responses.

“Please don’t,” one of the replies said. “This city is becoming more and more expensive every day in part because of people like you, and you don’t even realize or care about it.”
Mexico City
Mexico City residents complain the influx of Americans is causing local taquerias to become coffee shops and Pilates studios.
NurPhoto via Getty Images

While the Los Angeles Times report insisted that the “vast majority” of Mexico City locals are “unwaveringly kind” to visitors, there remains a “friction beneath the surface” of what gentrification means to the area.

“There’s a distinction between people who want to learn about the place they are in and those who just like it because it’s cheap,” said 31-year-old Hugo Van der Merwe, a man who grew up in Florida and Namibia who has been working remotely in Mexico City. “I’ve met a number of people who don’t really care that they’re in Mexico, they just care that it’s cheap.”

The State Department reports that there are 1.6 million Americans living in Mexico, many of them coming during the coronavirus pandemic when Mexico eased restrictions sooner than many places in the United States, but it remains unknown how many of those Americans are in Mexico City.

The Los Angeles Times says that in the first four months of this year, 1.2 million foreign visitors arrived at Mexico City’s airport.

“We’re just seeing Americans flooding in,” said Alexandra Demou, who runs the relocation company Welcome Home Mexico. “It’s people who maybe have their own business, or maybe they’re thinking of starting some consulting or freelance work. They don’t even know how long they’re going to stay. They’re completely picking up their entire lives and just moving down here.”

Demou added that she receives 50 calls a week from people thinking about moving to Mexico City.

Lauren Rodwell, who moved to Mexico City from San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, says she is sensitive to the gentrification issue but doesn’t feel guilty as a black woman.

“I kind of feel like, as a person of color from America, I’m so economically disadvantaged that wherever I go and experience some advantage or equity, I take it,” Rodwell said, adding that “being black in America” is exhausting and “it’s nice to take a break from it.”

The Los Angeles Times reported a similar situation in Portugal earlier this year in a story titled “Welcome to Portugal, the new expat haven. Californians, please go home.”

In the article, the outlet reported that the number of Americans living in Portugal has risen by 45% in the past year and many residents have been frustrated by rising housing costs associated with that.


Interesting contrast to migrants flooding into America....it seems no country likes foreign people disrupting their towns and cities.
 
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fskimospy

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Interesting contrast to migrants flooding into America....it seems no country likes foreign people disrupting their towns and cities.
It is true that there are people in other countries that are as stupid as American conservatives, yes.

Anyone with a brain knows America needs a huge increase in immigration.
 

amenx

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Dec 17, 2004
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Would be funny if they proposed in Mexican congress of the need to build a wall.
 
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13Gigatons

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It is true that there are people in other countries that are as stupid as American conservatives, yes.

Anyone with a brain knows America needs a huge increase in immigration.

Where are they going to live?
What Job will they get?
How will they travel...Bus or car?

There is a housing shortage so more homes will have to be built and that won't occur over night and rents are already going up.

Are there jobs available now that they are qualified to do, will they "steal" jobs from Americans. Will they drive the income down making more people fall out of the middle class? If they can't get work will they go on welfare or turn to crime?

More people means more cars, more pollution, more global warming, more demand for gas, more highways clogged up all the time.
 

Lezunto

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Oct 24, 2020
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This story is not new. It is a contrast to the stunts being pulled by DeSantis and Abbott.

The real dilemma for many poor Mexican is that Americans have more money to purchase properties and condos, pricing out the locals in and around Mexico's capital.

Not a good thing for Mexicans who are neither able to compete nor emigrate.

 

fskimospy

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Mar 10, 2006
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Where are they going to live?
What Job will they get?
How will they travel...Bus or car?

There is a housing shortage so more homes will have to be built and that won't occur over night and rents are already going up.

Are there jobs available now that they are qualified to do, will they "steal" jobs from Americans. Will they drive the income down making more people fall out of the middle class? If they can't get work will they go on welfare or turn to crime?

More people means more cars, more pollution, more global warming, more demand for gas, more highways clogged up all the time.
Yeah, you build more houses. Why are you so dedicated to the economics of stagnation and decline? Immigration is a way to a new wave of American greatness, same way it powered previous waves of greatness.

As far as more global warming did you think this through? You do realize if they didn’t live in the US they would live somewhere else, right?
 
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13Gigatons

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This story is not new. It is a contrast to the stunts being pulled by DeSantis and Abbott.

The real dilemma for many poor Mexican is that Americans have more money to purchase properties and condos, pricing out the locals.

Not a good thing for Mexicans who are neither able to compete nor emigrate.


Many in Mexico pay 60% of their income for housing alone, in America cheap labor makes it harder for Americans to be paid a fair wage so they can afford to pay for housing, food, gas, etc.
 
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Lezunto

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While what you say is generally true for many working Americans today, the fault lies with the folks who demand millions and millions in tax cuts.

As well as those scores of corporations that pay scant taxes on billions in profits.

The issue has been talked to death relentlessly but no one has a WORKABLE solution that most can agree on.
 

fskimospy

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Many in Mexico pay 60% of their income for housing alone, in America cheap labor makes it harder for Americans to be paid a fair wage so they can afford to pay for housing, food, gas, etc.
By this logic a shrinking American population would be more prosperous. Can you point to any areas of the US or the world who have achieved prosperity through a thinking population?
 

13Gigatons

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Apr 19, 2005
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Yeah, you build more houses. Why are you so dedicated to the economics of stagnation and decline? Immigration is a way to a new wave of American greatness, same way it powered previous waves of greatness.

As far as more global warming did you think this through? You do realize if they didn’t live in the US they would live somewhere else, right?

Houses aren't cheap, they will need to be able to afford them. They won't be built overnight so were will they live while they are waiting?

Many migrants didn't own cars in their countries, they rode buses or hitched rides.
 

13Gigatons

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Apr 19, 2005
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By this logic a shrinking American population would be more prosperous. Can you point to any areas of the US or the world who have achieved prosperity through a thinking population?

It's more about slowly absorbing migrants at a pace the economy can handle them. Flood migration is bad for everyone.
 

ImpulsE69

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I love when people talk like a lack of illegals is going to force companies to pay more. I bet trickle down economics worked awesomely too.
 
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BoomerD

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Feb 26, 2006
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It is true that there are people in other countries that are as stupid as American conservatives, yes.

Anyone with a brain knows America needs a huge increase in immigration.

It seems like the "we need MOAR immigration" people won't be satisfied until we have India-like population density
 
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“New to the city? Working remotely?” fliers popping up around Mexico City reportedly said. “You’re a f—ing plague and the locals f—ing hate you. Leave.”

Oh yea, or what? You'll kill me and hang me from an overpass?
7G3zITG.png
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
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For being thugs, thieves, and drug runners all of the Mexicans I've met tend to be much nicer and polite than many Americans. Especially the rich entitled ones.
 
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Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
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I love when people talk like a lack of illegals is going to force companies to pay more. I bet trickle down economics worked awesomely too.
A lack of immigrants is a reason behind the current worker shortages and is helping drive up the wages on the lower end. Supply and demand works, even with wages. That doesn't mean no immigration is a net good, however, especially when the lack of immigrants means there is straight up no one to do the job at any wage.
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
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By this logic a shrinking American population would be more prosperous. Can you point to any areas of the US or the world who have achieved prosperity through a thinking population?
I can literally point to dozens of countries where they become prosperous by having a thinking population.
BLOW5do.png


That being said a shrinking population helps the global warming issue. If worker productivity increases at a faster rate than population shrinks it’s still possible to grow GDP with a slightly declining population increasing prosperity.
 

Vic

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Jun 12, 2001
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A lack of immigrants is a reason behind the current worker shortages and is helping drive up the wages on the lower end. Supply and demand works, even with wages. That doesn't mean no immigration is a net good, however, especially when the lack of immigrants means there is straight up no one to do the job at any wage.

This isn't going to last forever though. The worker shortages led to inflation and less economic output, neither of which are good. Combined with the Fed's rate hikes to combat inflation, and we're staring at recession and mass layoffs, and all wage gains being erased.
 
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ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
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I can literally point to dozens of countries where they become prosperous by having a thinking population.
BLOW5do.png


That being said a shrinking population helps the global warming issue. If worker productivity increases at a faster rate than population shrinks it’s still possible to grow GDP with a slightly declining population increasing prosperity.

I don’t know if that’s actually accurate. You can have an overall global shrinking population and still have an increase in global warming. How? If the populations that are shrinking are from wealthy nations (1st world nations) but there continues to be a growing population in 3rd world countries (or developing countries) then there is a good chance the developing countries are using and increasing their use of global warming type energy supplies.

I’d argue that the best route is to help developing countries become 1st world countries so that they can transition to more greener energy supplies. It can also be argued that as a nation becomes more “1st world” (or whatever the term would be for energy dependent and a thriving economy and a major middle class) that there is a natural tendency to have less children and therefore leads to a shrinking population.
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
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This isn't going to last forever though. The worker shortages led to inflation and less economic output, neither of which are good. Combined with the Fed's rate hikes to combat inflation, and we're staring at recession and mass layoffs, and all wage gains being erased.

So long as consumer spending trends in the positive I don’t know why any company would lay anyone off when they already have a worker shortage. In fact laying off workers would be the equivalent of shooting one’s self in the foot.

The best course of action would be to get supply chains in line again and slowly ramping up inventory as that happens (not before it happens though).