5 million more Latam migrants in US by 2015: study

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Some 5 million more Latin American migrants will arrive in the United States by 2015, regardless of whether Congress decides to criminalize or legalize illegal immigrants, according to a study released on Monday.

The U.S. recruitment company Manpower, which carried out the study, said toughening penalties for illegal immigration would not deter young adults in Mexico and Central and South America from pursuing a better life in the United States.

"The abundance of young people in Latin America, in the face of aging of populations in more developed countries, will generate a demand for workers," said Manpower Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Joerres.

"Immigration cannot be held back ... and young people are extremely ambitious," he told a news conference.

There are 12-13 million illegal immigrants in the United States, around 11 million of them Mexicans. Each year another one million legal and illegal immigrants enter the country.

The report came as the Congress considers a proposal by President George W. Bush that would offer millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.