Immigration advocates commonly claim that violence and persecution are the primary reasons that prompt migration to the U.S. from Central America. An paper by the Center for Immigration Studies reveals what is often the “real motivation”: house envy. In Guatemala having a large house is a status symbol. To get money to build a bigger house, many Guatemalans migrate to the U.S. The paper quoted mayor of one town: “People see other people building the pretty houses, so they want to go too. They work for four or five years and then they come back and live in them.”
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