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Obama Can End Illegal Immigration—Bail Out Mexico
By Bill Ong
Hing
New America Media,
Commentary
Apr 16, 2009
The White House
announcement that it will tackle comprehensive immigration reform this
year is good news for the roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants in
the United States and their supporters. However, if the package does not
include at least the first steps toward helping Mexico improve its
economy and infrastructure, undocumented Mexican migration will not be
solved permanently.
As the White House was
making its announcement on reforms, however, the Border Patrol reported
increased migrant border deaths along the southern border, in spite of a
decrease in arrests. In other words, migrants keep coming in spite of
the militarization of the border and immigration raids. While Mexicans
are not the only undocumented immigrants in the country, they make up
almost 60 percent. To understand undocumented migration, we have to look
beyond the simple explanation that many cross the border looking for
work; we have to ask why they cannot find what they want in Mexico.
Comprehensive reform no
doubt will include much-needed proposals for increased family and
employment-based visas. Expanding those categories is necessary and will
help reduce the pressure that leads to unauthorized border crossings.
But at the end of the day, reducing the substantial flow across the
southern border will require the expansion of the economy and job growth
in Mexico, so that more Mexicans will be able to stay home. Obama
recognized this a year ago when he stated: “To reduce illegal
immigration, we also have to help Mexico develop its own economy, so
that more Mexicans can live their dreams south of the border.”
In 1994, we were told that
NAFTA would solve the undocumented problem because jobs would be created
in Mexico. But NAFTA contributed to huge job losses in Mexico. Mexican
corn farmers could not compete with heavily-subsidized U.S. corn
farmers, and now Mexico imports most of its corn from the United States.
Because of globalization, 100,000 jobs in Mexico’s domestic
manufacturing sector were lost from 1993 to 2003.
Where do those out of work
farm workers and manufacturing employees look for work? El Norte.
When the European Union
experienced its own push to expand its ranks to include poorer nations,
member countries faced similar concerns. Because membership includes the
right to open labor migration for all nationals of EU countries, the
wealthier countries worried that as soon as membership was granted,
there would a flood of workers from poorer nations into the wealthier
ones. Beginning with the 1973 EU enlargement to include Denmark,
Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the British insisted on an approach to
aid poorer regions. When Greece (1981), and Portugal and Spain (1986)
were added, all three nations, as well as Ireland, received infusions of
capital and assistance with institutional planning.
The approach worked. Their
economies transformed, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain, who were all
emigrant-sending nations prior to EU membership, now are net
immigrant-receiving nations. Today, only 2 percent of EU citizens look
for work in other EU countries.
Likewise, the United
States needs to consider the EU model and include investment – with
close monitoring of that investment – in Mexico as part of comprehensive
immigration reform. Reducing undocumented migration is in Mexico’s
interest as well; the persistent loss of able-bodied workers needed to
build its infrastructure and economy cannot be good for Mexico.
At the end of the day,
economic investment in Mexico is what’s needed to solve the undocumented
migration challenge.
Bill Ong Hing is a
professor of law at the University of California, Davis. His new book,
Ethical Borders—NAFTA, Globalization, and Mexican Migration, will be
published this year by Temple University Press.
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