They come for the same reason: to find work. And for many, it was as plentiful as it was endless - regardless of whether it meant building homes, tending gardens, cooking in restaurants, tidying houses, cleaning hotel rooms.

But lately, with the United States economy tanking and Colorado's cold winter fast approaching, more and more Mexican immigrants are finding themselves without jobs.

And with a reason to leave.

Some of the blame lies with the season: In winter, there are fewer construction and landscaping jobs. But many immigrants say their thoughts of departure are based on the economy. Seasonal work dried up much quicker than normal, they said, and many weren't able to find other employment.

So, some are headed back to Mexico, back to their families, back to their hometowns. It is a difficult migration: In Mexico, there are even fewer jobs than in the U.S.

One returning immigrant, who was waiting recently at the Autobuses Americanos bus station in downtown Denver, vowed that he'd never come back.

But others said they would return, if only because they don't have much choice.

"There is not a lot of work now and it's hard to be apart from your family," said Rafael Garcia, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who has worked construction in the U.S. for 13 years but returned home last week because he couldn't find a job for the winter.

It's unknown exactly how many migrants are returning home because of unemployment or tighter immigration laws, but statistics support the notion that many Mexican workers are leaving the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of foreign-born residents in Colorado fell last year, from nearly 489,500 in 2006 to 485,170 in 2007. The count for 2008 isn't yet available.

There are other signs of out-migration, too. The Bank of Mexico, that nation's central bank, reported that the amount of money Mexicans living in the U.S. wired home to their families fell by 4 percent in the first eight months of 2008.

Experts say that's one indicator of how many immigrants are working here - and how well they're doing.

Remittances have risen slightly in the past two months, a trend analysts attribute to the growing strength of the U.S. dollar against the peso. Still, the total amount of money sent home to Mexico in 2008 is expected to be less than in 2007.

More anecdotally, Denver shops that cater to Hispanics have reported declines in business. Some have even closed.

At the Autobuses Americanos station at Broadway and Champa Street, many of the passengers at this time of year are headed home for the holidays. They come to the station with stuffed suitcases and pillows so they can sleep during the long bus ride to the border town of El Paso - and then onto Mexico.

Occasionally, a passenger stows a new Barbie Dream House or stuffed animal underneath the bus with his suitcases. Presents for his children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews back home.

But among the bustling holiday travelers are those who are returning home for a more somber reason: They've been out of work for months and are going home to wait.

Wait until winter is over.

Wait until the economy gets better.

Wait for a job.

The Rocky spoke with three such passengers.

Sandro Rucovo

Rucovo first came to Colorado 10 years ago, encouraged by friends' reports of plentiful work in Boulder. Then a newlywed, Rucovo, 33, was living in Zacatecas, Mexico, and struggling to find a job in a failing economy.

"Here, it was better," he said in Spanish, as the waiting 6:10 p.m. bus puffed and rumbled behind him. "I came here with hopes of doing something, buying a house, helping my family."

And for many years, he did, first working in construction and then in restaurants. Every six months, he would return to Mexico to renew his work visa and visit his wife and three young daughters.

But this time, his trip home was spurred by a different reason. Rucovo said the owner of the Boulder restaurant where he works decided to close it down for a month because business was slow.

If they open it back up, he'll return to Colorado in February. If they don't, Rucovo said, he'll probably come back anyway. Here, there is the possibility of work. In Mexico, his chances are fewer.

"There, the economy is very bad," he said.

Abdon Garcia

Garcia, 23, has been bouncing between his home in Mexico City and the United States since he was 16.

But no more, he said, wiping tears from his red-rimmed eyes as he sat inside the bus station, waiting for the 6:40 p.m. bus to depart as a scrambled TV played Spanish-language news in the background.

"Four or five months, I don't have any work, so I'm going to back to Mexico," Garcia said in English, minutes after hugging his father goodbye. "I don't like working anymore in Colorado."

Garcia is newly married, and his wife has a job at a cell phone store in Mexico City. He had been working as a landscaper in Arvada and Colorado Springs until his work dried up in August.

He worked a few painting jobs alongside his father, who followed his son to the United States three years ago. But Garcia said he doesn't much like painting - and he missed his wife.

When he gets back to Mexico City, Garcia said he plans to work for some family members who have a business fixing machine motors. He's fairly adamant that he won't return to Colorado but relents when asked what he would do if the economy improves.

"Maybe I'll come later," he said. "It's up to my wife."

Rafael Garcia

Garcia (no relation to Abdon)considers himself rich. He has a wife and four beautiful daughters who range in age from 7 to 16 years old.

To provide for them, Garcia, 44, has worked in the United States since 1995, doing construction jobs in Phoenix and Greeley.

But one recent night, he was at the bus station, leaning up against the building's brick wall, ticket and duffel bag in hand. There's not been much work this year, he said, and he misses his family.

His plan is to go home to his small town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and return at the end of January to see if things have picked up.

"It is always hard," he said. "But this year is the worst."

Still, like Rucovo, Garcia said he thinks his chances for a good job are better here than in Mexico. That's enough to justify the trip.

"There are," he said, "lots of advantages here."

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