The band-aid approach to immigration reform

over the last several decades has left us with no easy answers.

I keep going back to the reason we have have so many illegal immigrants in the first place. They need work and US industry loves cheap labor.

It goes back even further: Multinationals, with help from their foreign governments (led by the US but many European countries as well), have managed to make an economic killing off Mexico's resources, taking most of the wealth out of the country, leaving a little for those in power and next to nothing for the people. I read that something like 75-80% of the population work in and surrounding Cancun serving the tourism industry.

If you or I lived in Mexico, we might consider sneaking across the border, too. Many, if not most Americans, have had a first-hand look at the living standards in Mexico. Surely we don't stay at the cute cabana or the four-star all-inclusive resort and not notice the poverty all around!

The top priority should be the U.S. and Mexico governments sharing responsibilty for creating a liveable environment for Mexican citizens. Mexico had a chance to make its own reforms but that election was stolen. 

.

by Kathlyn Stone (39 articles, 213 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 595 comments) on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 2:30:16 PM
 

Is 15 grand insignificant?

Especially if a group banded together, wouldn't 15 grand multiplied by 3 or 4 or 5 be a significant enough amount of money to start a business or rent a vacation home to tourists, or something???

by Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments) on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 2:44:24 PM
 

How can the US-Mexico governments halt illegal immigration?

By working on development opportunities within Mexico. By changing trade and investment laws.

While the government has avoided developing a workable policy, non-governmental organizations have been hard at work looking at migration. This report looks at the immigration issue from political, economic, demographic, social and anthropolical angles. I clipped a summary of their findings from the executive summary but to get a good understanding of how our economies and governments entertwine it's worth reading the whole report.

México – U.S. Migration Management: A Binational Approach

I. MAIN FINDINGS 1.1.- Migration must be seen within the context of broader economic integrationtrends.In January, 1994, Mexico joined the U.S. and Canada in the North AmericanFree Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement was heralded as an historicopportunity for Mexico, leading to the social and economic convergence of allthree North American societies. Among other things, the agreement waspresumed to increase Mexican commodity exports and lower emigration.Contrary to what officials heralded, however, experts predicted that NAFTAwould lead to a migration hump, in which migration pressures wouldincrease in the short to medium term before reducing in the long term. Tenyears after the agreement was implemented, Mexican exports have risen veryrapidly, and emigration has also reached unprecedented levels. As predicted,while trade, financial and service integration has undoubtedly accelerated,this has not led to sufficient economic and social convergence between theU.S. and Mexico, and migration has thus far continued at historic levels. 

1.2.- Mexico – U.S. migration is driven by economic disparities.Although Mexico – U.S. migration is the largest flow of its kind in the world,and its size is matched by its complexity and the extremely diverse nature ofmotivations, transnational links, and family, labor and cultural connections, itstill responds mostly to the large difference in income levels and employmentopportunities arising from asymmetrical integration. The pervasiveness ofsocial relations in the flow has not overtaken the economic nature ofmigration. Mexicans move to the U.S. in search of better jobs that mayimprove their wellbeing in Mexico, or provide a better future for them andtheir families in the U.S. 

1.3.- While the prognosis is for more migration in the short-to-medium term, if proactive steps are taken to manage the flow, long-term reductions in migration pressures are possible and even likely

At present U.S. employers and Mexican workers appear to be mutuallydependent on migration. In the near future, conditions in both countries arelikely to maintain the flow at close to its current levels, with ups and downsdefined, in the short term, by U.S. employment growth and policies. Over thelonger term Mexican development holds the best likelihood of reducing thenumber of migrants. Demographic changes will contribute to lessenemigration pressures. Concerning Mexican employment, while the prognosisis sometimes disappointing, there is reason to believe that formal sectoremployment may regain its momentum of the late 1990’s. But there is littleroom for complacency. Some critics reasonably point out that today’smigration momentum may carry on indefinitely and, as long as today’sinstitutions for [mis-] managing migration remain unchanged, they couldwell be right..

1.4.- Binational cooperation is key to better managing migration between Mexico and the United States.The window of opportunity for a comprehensive bilateral migrationagreement is all but closed at the present time. And yet, collaboration isessential to improving the management of migration and deriving positiveimpacts in both countries. A high level of cooperation andinstitutionalization already exists in the fields of trade and investment. It hasbeen useful to both countries, and these two models can serve to furthercooperation in migration affairs. And cooperation has also risen to new highsin other fields, such as security, although it is less institutionalized.We are proposing an arrangement in which renewed dialogue, improvednational migration policy coordination in Mexico and the United States, and abinational administrative body gradually develop substantial levels ofcooperation. Together with a series of confidence building steps, they wouldcreate practical, day-to-day collaboration. A bilateral approach to themanagement of migration opens up avenues for the more secure, effectiveand humanitarian control of the northward movement. Specifically, we areproposing a number of specific components to re-direct movements fromlargely unauthorized migration to legal work programs. At the same time,we are suggesting elements that, if proactively targeted, can boost Mexicandevelopment. Finally, we believe the time has come for Mexico and theUnited States to cooperate more systematically in the enforcement ofmigration laws along the Mexico – U.S. border, provided that new legalavenues are opened to migrants and employers. Cooperating on the border,facilitating legal status, deterring unauthorized employment, providing legalalternatives for new migrant flows benefiting from new social andinformation infrastructure in both countries, leveraging remittances,encouraging return migration, and maintaining ongoing and closeconsultations on all aspects of the binational relationship will lead to asubstantial improvement in the regulation of migration, and to a much moresatisfying Mexico – U.S. relationship. Acknowledgement of the responsibilityshared in the current state of Mexico – U.S. migration should evolve into practical collaboration for its solution. 

by Kathlyn Stone (39 articles, 213 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 595 comments) on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 3:45:20 PM
 

But is it too easy to come to the U.S.?

In a way, aren't we almost ridiculing the Mexican citizen by making it primarily an issue of will and money as to whether or not they want to come here? Surely being snuck in is dangerous for a variety of reasons, but those reasons appear to be more about the natural terrain, unscrupulous coyotes, and temperature rather than the United States actually preventing excessive migration by trying.

by Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments) on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 4:08:55 PM
 

How about the citizens

maybe we should pay some of them to relinguish their citizenship and go elsewhere? And  how do we define the illegal migrants: whoever applies for the money is llegal, right? Get him , he is right there!  The fish took the bait.

There is no migration or immigration problem.  Those numbers are bogus. But the worst is that we are distracted from the real issues like Iraq war,  for instance. With money spent and stolen there we would be able to  make Mexico a  Paradise.

Immigration is a symptom, not  a cause. And BTW, I wrote about it  in my article 'Species 8472'.  I also wrote that  we here are blind.  Make your borders inpenetratable.? Beware of what you wish, folks because when you will need to sneak out you will not be able to. I know, I was there.

 Mark Sashine

by Mark Sashine (47 articles, 19 quicklinks, 235 diaries, 3360 comments) on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 8:54:58 AM
 

"The Fish took the Bait"...

by Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments) on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 3:21:05 PM