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 Editorials | October 2006 
US, Mexico Should Establish Immigration Parameters
 George Diaz - Orlando Sentinel
We can stir the witches' brew any way you want:
• Illegal immigrants are ruining this great country and need to be turned away at the border. We'll also gather buses and trains to ship out the estimated 11 million or so who already have crossed here illegally, tossing them a one-way ticket back home.
• Many undocumented workers are simply caught in a vicious shell game in which they came here legally, overstayed their visas, and are stuck here for fear they will never be able to return once they cross over again. They are an integral part of our economy, and agriculture and other industries would suffer greatly if they were squeezed out of the work force.
The rhetoric divides our country. You would think that the Senate and House of Representatives would have a stronger determination in finding a viable middle ground.
"Progress" should not be measured by the recent decision to build a 700-mile fence along Mexico's southern border. That amounts to nothing more than a $1.2 billion down payment on a Band-Aid that is an ineffective stopgap. It is no different from arresting a couple of low-level drug dealers while ignoring the cartels that produce the poison keeping the addictive flow going.
You solve major problems by digging in and destroying the roots. For the immigration crisis, that involves both countries establishing effective immigration parameters, coinciding with meaningful dialogue between borders.
Frankly, I haven't seen much of that. Mexico continues to struggle gaining political cohesiveness after a contentious presidential election in which Felipe Calderon staved off the challenge of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. And there are far greater issues at play beyond who gets the best seat in the presidential cavalcade.
"More than 40 percent of our population lives in poverty, but it cannot be solved in a generation," said Geronimo Gutierrez, Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs undersecretary.
He was among a handful of politicians and community leaders at the University of Central Florida on Monday for a symposium on U.S. immigration policy.
Curiously, Gutierrez always referred to the problem of "migration" and not "immigration" while addressing the audience. Mexicans are not necessarily interested in coming here and settling down forever. Their immediate concerns are driven by economics - sending money back home, and having the opportunity to go back on occasion to reconnect with their families.
Estimates range from $11 billion to $17 billion in remittances sent families in Mexico from workers here last year, the second biggest injection of money besides oil.
This is why a guest-worker program is an essential piece of immigration reform. It is also one that has been stubbornly blocked by the House, which has focused strictly on enforcement.The Senate went along with the border-fencing component.
"The political season completely warped any opportunity for compromise," said U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla.
There has to be some middle ground between the xenophobic babble of Florida Congressman Ric Keller - who warns of convicted sexual predators and terrorists crossing borders and Mexicans skinning pet rabbits - to carte blanche amnesty for undocumented workers estimated to be between 11 million and 12 million in the country already.
Border patrol is necessary, but the most important fence on this immigration issue is not the one we have to build.
It's the one we have to tear down between our leaders, and the obstinate philosophical divide that exists between the United States and Mexico.
The economic crunch works both ways. There is enough substantive evidence that tells us that undocumented workers are necessary to sustain our agriculture and other levels of our economy. Apple growers in California, Washington and upstate New York have reported labor shortages because immigrants are reluctant to return to Mexico in the off-season and have looked for more stable jobs. About 300 growers representing every major agricultural state rallied on the front lawn of the Capitol carrying baskets of fruit to express their discontent last month.
And despite what you may think, Mexicans are losing their most ambitious workers to the United States. The lazy ones are content to wallow in poverty. Others have the courage and gumption to risk their lives looking for a better way.
So far, all we see are baby steps, and a 700-mile obstacle that doesn't end the rush to the border, but only points the desperate in a different direction.
George Diaz is a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. Readers may e-mail him at gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com. |
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