( CNN ) -- Mexican migration to the United States may have stalled , as a new study shows , but the political and social debates over immigrants living in the United States are n't going anywhere , experts say . The immigration debate is reflected in a number of policies and proposals , most recognizably state immigration laws that are being challenged . Oral arguments are scheduled at the Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices decide whether Arizona can enforce its controversial immigration law . A bill in Mississippi that would require police to check the immigration status of all those arrested died in the state Senate this month . Amid the backdrop of contentious debates comes a study this week from the Pew Hispanic Center , which finds that for the first time in decades , the flow of Mexican migrants to and from the United States balances out . The effect may be even more pronounced . According to the report , `` the trend lines ... suggest that return flow to Mexico probably exceeded the inflow from Mexico during the past year or two . '' `` The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill , '' the report announces . The report 's findings were n't a surprise to several Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles , who said they 've seen the political and economic situation shift dramatically in recent years . `` It is n't like it was before . The laws have changed . The work is very hard . Life is very expensive , '' said Norma Ibarra . `` It 's not the United States it was 30 years ago . '' Alba Roche said her nieces in Mexico want to come to the United States , but ca n't . `` They have n't been able to come because of the situation , because there is not enough work , and more than anything because crossing is quite dangerous , so there are many obstacles , '' she said . Those who study immigration trends and policy agree that the apparent standstill in immigration is significant , but to varying degrees they say it will do little to change attitudes and actions in the United States . Jeffrey Passel , senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center and one of the report 's authors , said that as Mexican families have fewer children , the number of potential immigrants is shrinking . Also , the Mexican economy is improving and providing jobs that before were n't available and provided a push to look for opportunities in the United States . `` It 's likely impossible that we 'll get back to the level of immigration that we saw 10 years ago . It 's possible that the flows may pick up , but I do n't think they will get anywhere near where they were in 2000 , '' Passel said . `` People have been talking about the return flow for a couple of years , but it just was n't showing up in the data , and now we 're beginning to see it , '' he added . But the forces that pull immigrants to the United States and push them from Mexico have not disappeared . `` It 's a little premature to say that part of history is over , '' said Tamar Jacoby , president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA , a federation of small-business owners in favor of immigration reform . There are a number of factors that may have affected the recent trend : better enforcement in the United States , demographic changes in Mexico and the economic downturn in the United States . `` We have three different reasons , and we do n't know how important each one of these reasons is , '' she said . As those factors shift -- for example , as the U.S. economy improves -- the demand for immigrant workers in the United States will rise , she said . An improving situation in Mexico could result in fewer Mexicans migrating to the United States , but people from Central American countries could fill that void . Even if not as large as before , a future demand for immigrants in the United States will mean a continuation of the debates of today . The news produced in the Pew Hispanic report may relieve some people 's anxieties , but for many illegal immigration critics , the real problem is n't the immigrants arriving today but the cumulative effects of immigrants who have arrived illegally over the past 30 years , Jacoby said . Mark Krikorian , executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies , said there is no question that immigration from Mexico has slowed , but it does n't mean nobody is coming . `` The claim that this is a permanent development is premature , '' said Krikorian , whose center favors a restrictive approach to immigration policy . `` When our economy picks up , what happens then ? '' he asked . Krikorian said he sees the pause in Mexican migration as an opportunity to build up enforcement against future illegal immigration . `` The conclusion I draw from this is that we have breathing space to put enforcement measures in place that we will need when these pressures mount again , '' he said . CNN 's Jacqueline Hurtado contributed to this report .
Mexico : ` ` It 's not the United States it was ten years ago , '' one immigrant says . A new study says net flows from Mexico into the United States have stopped . Better conditions in Mexico mean less desire to emigrate to the United States . But future demand means the controversial debates will continue .