Although economists say the United States is not technically in a recession, the slowdown in economic activity is having a dramatic impact on the amount of money immigrants are able to send back home. The so-called remittances have fallen off sharply, according to officials in several Latin American nations.
尽管经济学家认为，严格地说，美国现在并不能算是陷入了经济衰退，可是经济活动减速所造成的负面影响随处可见，而且外国民工首当其冲，这从他们给家里汇款的数量上可见一斑。根据拉丁美洲好几个国家官方的统计数字，在美国打工的拉美人寄回国的钱已经急剧下降。
The crowds of immigrant workers from Mexico and Central America seeking jobs has grown a little larger in Houston because of the slowdown in construction and the ripple effect in other areas of the economy. Houston is in relatively good shape compared to some other parts of the nation, having avoided a big downturn in housing because there was never a sharp increase in prices here as there was on the east and west coasts. But some of the same factors driving down the economy elsewhere are also present here.