A study from the Public Policy Institute of California reports that Mexican immigrants usually return home after several years, but some analysts urging caution in accepting the data.

• The report says that half of all Mexican immigrants -- legally or illegally in the U. S. -- move back to Mexico within two years of arrival.

• It concluded that only 20 percent of all Mexican immigrants stay more than five years.

• The information is based on the memories of people in towns and villages in western Mexico between 1982 and 1993.

The findings could have an impact on the current immigration debate, since those who favor tighter restrictions argue that many Mexican immigrants become long-term welfare recipients. Supporters of open immigration policy are likely to look favorably on the results of the study.

However, J. Edward Taylor, an economist at the University of California at Davis, said the survey data "tell us very little about the current group of immigrants, who are tending to stay much longer, from what I've seen."

Source: Frederick Rose, "Many Mexican Immigrants Don't Stay Long in U. S., According to New Study," Wall Street Journal, January 29, 1997.