What is the main message of the news item? [originaltext] Governments in Fran

Governments in France and Spain have recently announced drops in the numbers of illegal immigrants coming to their shores, partly due to tougher policies, but also because of the global economic downturn. Spain’s government says the numbers of would-be immigrants from Africa fell almost half, from 13,000 in 2008 to just more than 7,000 last year. The numbers of illegal immigrants arriving in France has also dropped, with Immigration Minister Eric Besson attributing the slowdown to the economic crisis and tougher immigration policies. Immigration specialist Georges Lemaitre, of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is not surprised by these reports. "The first thing that affects migration is the fact employers do not want as many workers," he said. "They are not looking to hire as many immigrants. So this is the first thing that reduces the level of migration. The second is the fact immigrants themselves do not see many opportunities. So they themselves tend to come less often." Lemaitre says this trend is reflected elsewhere in Europe and in richer nations as a whole. And it concerns legal and illegal immigrants.