Are we ruining Mexico? Thoughts on Immigration

Immigration is an issue facing the 2008 Presidential candidates, although we haven’t heard much about it lately. John McCain co-sponsored Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, while Barack Obama supported it, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Both candidates also voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Great.  But they aren’t dealing with all of the issues.

I originally posted a similar blog on the American Dream Project site back in March of 2007.  Many of you responded with compelling stories, ideas, and frustration.  I have copied those responses over as comments to this blog, as I felt your voices needed to be heard.

First of all, claiming that it’s all right to exploit Mexican workers in the U.S. because they do jobs we won’t do is twisted logic. If we have jobs only a desperate immigrant would do for exploitative wages, why do these jobs even exist?

There is zero evidence that Americans won’t do hard jobs that are safe and pay fair wages. So if we need Mexicans to do dangerous, toxic, dirty work for unfair wages there is something wrong with the morals of the exploiters. Slave owners also thought they were giving Africans a better life.

More importantly, illegal immigration is killing Mexico. Over half of Mexico’s 100 million citizens say they want to move to the U.S. Is that a good thing? The tens of thousands of young men and women leaving Mexico are Mexico’s most entrepreneurial, most resourceful of their vast underclass. There are entire towns and villages peopled only by the women and children left behind. The whole nation is dependent on the billions of dollars illegally employed family members send home creating a false economy. This creates price inflation in Mexico while robbing our economy of the purchasing power of the wages we are paying. Most of all Mexico remains unable to move behind a corrupt banana republic system of the rich and privileged making a mockery of democracy. The corruption of rich using laws and regulations preventing real capitalism from nurturing a middle class has created a country rich in resources sinking in greed and bribery.

Since it is unlikely we will annex Mexico, we must use our political, economic and investment policy to promote real reform. Access to quality education and capital must improve. The legal system must be made reliable. Misery as a way of life must end, and much more. All this may take decades. But is the alternative to have most of Mexico’s future sneak across our border?

As for us, never in our history has this number of immigrants come to America so fast. Where are schools, roads, hospitals, housing, water, sewers coming from? Is having 400,000 million Americans in the next 35 years really a good idea for anyone but big box retailers and fast food outlets? Is this really the best idea for our future?

What’s the Greatest Thing We Can Do?

Question # 14: Are we ruining Mexico?