Posted Thursday, April 27, 2006; 5:37 p.m.

The New Face of Immigration

Rallies for immigrants' rights have been raging across the U.S. and continue this week. A decade ago illegal migration was dominated by men, but today as many as half of those crossing the border are female.

By Lindsay Watts
The L.A. Pilot

Throughout April, protesters across the nation have taken to the streets to rally against the proposed tightening of immigration laws. Another large protest is being planned for Monday May 1, and organizers are calling for Mexicans to stay home from work and skip school.

Immigrants have flooded into many U.S. industries for what President Bush calls "the jobs American don't want." Monday's boycott is an attempt by organizers to show the impact immigrants have on the American economy.

Men and Women Alike

In the past Mexican immigrants have been primarily men, but today more and more women are risking rape and even death to journey across the border into America. Nearly half of all Mexican immigrants living in the United States right now are women, according to a study released last week by U.S. and Mexican migration experts.

"It's very significant because it shows the country is losing its potential - its youth, its reproductive force," says Bianca Villasenor, who recently published a book on Mexico's female migrants.

Somewomen cross with their children, others leave them with relatives. Some expectant mothers, like 18-year-old Maria Perez, decide to make the trip, hoping they will arrive in time for their infant to be born a U.S. citizen.

Perez got her wish, giving birth to a healthy baby girl in the middle of the Arizona desert after walking for days. Lilia Ortiz, another young woman journeying from Mexico, helped birth the baby, cutting its umbilical cord with a pair of nail clippers.

While Perez made it into America, Ortiz, 23, was caught by border control officials.

"I have a 6-month-old girl, and I'm a single mother," she says. "I feel sad and desperate. I have no money and haven't been able to get work at home, and now I can't get to the other side."

Ortiz says she will try to return to America again in hopes of a better life for her daughter.