Open Dialog: How can we change a historical trend?

I desire to open an honest discussion on how to correct a repetitive trend in foreign relations between Mexico and America. Since our country’s inception, we have had miserable relations with Mexico, to the point that I believe most diplomats and politicians refer to Mexico as the proverbial “Red-Headed Step Child”. I don’t want this to be a Mexico bashing or America bashing forum, otherwise, what’s the point right?

I harp a lot about Illegal Immigration being a plague to our way of life. By showcasing stories which illustrate the absurdity of border control versus foreign policy decisions by people who are clueless about diplomatic relations, I have hoped that my articles would illicit responses to get involved and become informed.

I am currently reading up on American History during this semester, and I tell you this because it has occurred to me that not much has changed in the way of Mexico-America relations since about 1900.

Mexico has always been run by some type of dictator, whether by military force, drug lords, or American intervention. Mexico has never had a truly democratic government run by its citizens. Does that make us bad people for trying to involve ourselves in their affairs?

Absolutely not. While we should recognize our responsibility in the fact that stability in Mexico has been a pipe dream, if we were not involved in how Mexico operates, I believe we would have an even worse illegal immigrant problem than what we are currently witnessing.

Case in point: 1913. Mexico was involved in a very large and bloody revolution. The poor essentially murdered the current President and instilled by coup general Victoriano Huerta. This revolution promoted a huge migration of Mexicans into the United States who, for the most part, spread out amongst the south western states. (New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas, etc) This massive influx of frontier “illegals” also incited violence much the same way we witness today. (Gunfights with law enforcement, damage to property, etc.)

So what did our government do? President Woodrow Wilson basically did to the Military Dictator Huerta, what we did to the Russia/Afghanistan conflict. Supply weapons to “freedom fighters” who opposed the dictator, and let them do the dirty work. A “hands-off” approach in diplomatic relations as I like to call it.

Back then, I doubt little effort was made to promote “Nation Building”.

That also doesn’t make us terrible, but it does open the door of questions as to how different we are today, than back in Wilson’s era.

President Wilson I believe was trying to do what was right to help the impoverished citizens of Mexico, but I can only guess at his intentions. Much of my personal opinions are the same when we take a look at Ronald Reagan.
In the 1980’s little was done to stem the flow of illegals from Mexico into the U.S. It’s interesting to me when you look back on that time, we were going through a cold-war with Russia. At the same time combating an immigration headache. What surprises me most is that Russia never employed the tactics of Al-Qaeda to sneak into the country via Mexico’s porous border.

But to respond to the growing illegal immigration issues, President Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act. In this act, Reagan made a critical mistep in steming the flow of illegal immigration. Instead of putting a cork into the leaking dam, it only encouraged the cracks to widen.

a. Authorized legalization (i.e., temporary and then permanent resident status) for aliens who had resided in the United States in an unlawful status since January 1, 1982 (entering illegally or as temporary visitors with authorized stay expiring before that date or with the Government’s knowledge of their unlawful status before that date) and are not excludable.

b. Created sanctions prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring, recruiting, or referring for a fee aliens not authorized to work in the United States.

c. Increased enforcement at U.S. borders.

d. Created a new classification of seasonal agricultural worker and provisions for the legalization of certain such workers.

e. Extended the registry date (i.e., the date from which an alien has resided illegally and continuously in the United States and thus qualifies for adjustment to permanent resident status) from June 30, 1948 to January 1, 1972.

f. Authorized adjustment to permanent resident status for Cubans and Haitians who entered the United States without inspection and had continuously resided in country since January 1, 1982.

g. Increased the numerical limitation for immigrants admitted under the preference system for dependent areas from 600 to 5,000 beginning in fiscal year 1988.

h. Created a new special immigrant category for certain retired employees of international organizations and their families and a new nonimmigrant status for parents and children of such immigrants.

i. Created a nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Pilot program allowing certain aliens to visit the United States without applying for a nonimmigrant visa.

j. Allocated 5,000 nonpreference visas in each of fiscal years 1987 and 1988 for aliens born in countries from which immigration was adversely affected by the 1965 act.

Now, after reading the IRCA signed into law, do you see the problem? Currently, there are about 11+ million illegals and counting. Mexico has a government run by a “Presidente” that cares less about providing a solid economic future for his people, and more about burdening America with psuedo-exiled citizens who desire nothing more than to “find a job, provide for a family, etc.”

Our problem is that we still have a government in bed with Mexican leadership. We are essentially sweeping the problems of both country’s under a rug by not tackling this head on.

On one hand we have Mexico which is not respresentative of its citizens voice (even if they have “democratic” elections). They are either lacking the drive to work to better their country (which I doubt because they are hardworking people) or, they are simply fed up, and fleeing here because the only thing they have to fight here is law, rather than an inept and corrupt government. Our laws are easier to evade and fight, and I believe it’s more frustration to fight drug dealers who want you as a “mule” or dead, and a government that won’t combat a huge problem. Perhaps the lure of drug money is too much to stop it?

On the other hand, our government’s answer in the past has been to grant amnesty to people who violate our laws, care little about the common people of this country who have made America what it is today.

It’s not a simple problem, and if we look at how to fix it, that will not be an easy road to go down.

My solutions would be to:

• Close the borders down. Period. If you want to cross, either you go through a checkpoint, or you fly in, either way, some guy is looking at your passport, and either saying yes, or go home.
• Use the Homeland Security to go after all illegal immigrants that currently reside here and give them a ticket back home. No Amnesty. Businesses who employ illegals should be punished and fined heavily. We have laws here, either abide by them or be the next Enron scandal.
• Help to change Mexico. We are rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, why can’t we effect positive change in Mexico? If they did more to promote companies, employment, education, and RESPONSIBILITY, they could be an economic superpower. Of course, that also means cleaning up the corruption, kicking out the drug dealers who ARE embedded in and won’t go without a fight.

And finally,

• We have to stop looking at America as a free-for-all. While we are THE most charitable country, (and I’m not talking government charity, I am talking about private charity), we cannot solve the worlds problems all at once. We need to focus on the things we can solve and then go after the more complex tasks.

Illegal immigration needs to stop. No country can afford to sustain the entire world population within its borders socially, or economically. That’s half the reason we have countries and not one unified planet with seperate state territories.

Secondly, your average Joe citizen simply wants to provide for his or her family. Be it a roof over their heads, decent meals, transportation, education, or what have you. If you are going to lobby for global rights, why can’t we start there? Equal rights for every global citizen, in every country. Once you solve the economics, you can begin to focus on the other problems.

What say you?

Tagged as: guest_blogging, immigration, politics