The Midwest is becoming much more Mexican

They’re here, they’re Mexican and lawmakers aren’t doing anyone any good by scapegoating their new residents.

That was the take-home message last week, when Chicago-based researcher Rob Paral visited Kansas City to present his new study about Mexican immigration in the Midwest.

Bottom line: Our neighbors from the South are coming to Missouri and surrounding states in record numbers and the overwhelming majority aren’t arriving through legal channels.

Whether you’re a Minuteman or an immigration reform activist, Paral’s findings about our shifting demographics are striking.