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 Editorials | Issues | April 2007 
Ultimately, Economics will Decide Immigration
 Rebeca Chapa - San Antonio Express-News
Well, we're at it again.
Immigration reform, the behemoth of domestic policy, has lumbered onto center stage. Hopefully, the performance will get more cheers than boos this time around.
President Bush is pushing to pass a palatable immigration reform package this year, although it's clear he's already meeting with opposition from both conservatives and immigrant rights activists.
An initial draft would include a guest worker program, continued enforcement measures and tamperproof identity cards.
It also requires illegal immigrants wanting legal status to return to their home country and pay fees and fines of $20,000 or more upon re-entry. New rules also would make it more difficult for family members of immigrants to join them.
We all know the real answer to the immigration problem. It lies in achieving an economic equilibrium that provides Mexicans with decent wages and living standards in their country so they don't succumb to the "push-and-pull" northward.
Of course, that's difficult to do in a nation marked by extreme poverty and a history of corrupt politicians more interested in lining their pockets than developing the country.
It will take bold vision on the part of the Mexicans, and patience on our end, but it can be done.
And it should be done, not just because it's an "antidote" to immigration, but because a stronger Mexican economy would benefit the region.
In the meantime, this country needs to get some religion when it comes to the economic role immigrants fill.
There are an estimated 12 million people living and working in the United States illegally.
And if they're all lawbreakers, as some conservative Republicans are wont to declare, then you and I are guilty of aiding and abetting.
You've heard it before, but I'll say it again. These "lawbreakers" harvest our food, clean our hotels, mow our lawns and build our homes.
And because there is a demand for services, there is a supply of people to provide those services.
In a meeting this week with the Express-News Editorial Board, Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan spoke in unflinching terms about the need for Mexico to address immigration on its end rather than wait for a U.S. policy resolution.
To that end, Sarukhan said, Mexican President Felipe Calderón plans to expand the transportation infrastructure by building more and better roads, improving ports and expanding the country's rail system in central and southern Mexico.
Not coincidentally, that is where the bulk of Mexico's poorest citizens reside.
Such development is critical in attracting direct foreign investment, which is the only way Mexico is going to get ahead in the global economy, Sarukhan contends.
It's refreshing to hear a Mexican official address the issue pragmatically.
That's dealing with the problem. That's getting at the heart of a complex issue that isn't solved by half-built fences or rogue bands of armed and angry ranchers patrolling the border.
Mexico's moves to develop its economy do nothing to absolve our responsibility to deal with the reality here, however.
Even if all the vested interests get together and come up with a workable plan that achieves the dual objectives of increased enforcement and pathways to legalization, people are still going to come to this country, where they can find higher paying jobs.
The sooner we get used to that fact, the better off we'll be.
When you strip away the passion, the protests and the racially tinged scare tactics, you're left with the real nugget: economics.
Whether that economic opportunity is in the United States or in Mexico is what will determine the future of immigration in this country.
rchapa@express-news.net |
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