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 Editorials | Opinions | December 2007 
Mexican-American Border Crossed from Both Sides
 Courier-Post
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 |  | When it comes to Mexican migration, it is a serious error to view it only from the American perspective, since the issue has more than one face. The Mexican-American border dynamics do not work only in one direction. |  | |
Just as in other parts of the country, the Mexican community has grown quickly here in recent years.
This fact has put Mexicans at the center of the immigration debate in the United States. This debate has developed in a manner that at times makes it seem as if people are coming only from Mexico. All effort the government takes in sealing borders is focused on the south of the country, going even to the extreme of building a wall - a bizarre initiative in a global society.
It might seem the 110 million residents of Mexico are getting ready to cross the border en mass into the United States.
When it comes to Mexican migration, it is a serious error to view it only from the American perspective, since the issue has more than one face. The Mexican-American border dynamics do not work only in one direction. For Mexicans, the United States is not only the country where some people decide to come to work, but also the homeland of many who find in Mexico a nice, hospitable and safe place to reside.
No place like home
Although it is true that many Mexicans come to the United States, there are millions of Mexicans who do not want to do this, even those who could do it legally. Mireya Huizar - the daughter of an American father and a Mexican mother - was born in Los Angeles. She was taken to Mexico as a child and raised there. By the time she turned 30, Huizar went to live in California, but was willing to stay for only a couple of years and returned to Mexico.
Today, Huizar is a successful entrepreneur in Guadalajara, Mexico, and travels to the United States only for business or to visit relatives. The parents of Tere Martinez, 19, legally reside in Houston, where she was born. She is now working as a cosmetologist in Zapopan, Jalisco in Mexico. Even though Martinez is an American citizen, she says she is interested in coming to this country only on vacation.
The 21st International Book Fair was recently held in Guadalajara. The event is one of the most important of its kind in the world. Several forums covered the issue of migration and the return of many Mexicans to their country. Despite acquiring legal residency in the United States, many prefer to live in Mexico where they are more comfortable and can also get ahead. The newspapers in Guadalajara - El Informador and Publico - published in-depth articles about this phenomenon during the first week of December. The border is crossed from north to south, not only by Mexicans returning to their country, but also by thousands of Americans.
According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico is the seventh most popular destination in the world and the organization states the country received more than 19 million tourists in 2005, most coming from Canada and the United States.
Americans cross here
According to USA Today, dozens of American citizens cross into Mexico daily to visit border towns, from business people and factory owners to party-goers looking to purchase alcohol.
Several American companies, including hotel and restaurant chains, stores and drugstores, are now established in Mexico.
Among the most visited destinations for vacationers are Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, which are packed with American tourists year-round, but other popular cities include Mexico City, Queretaro, Michoacan, Veracruz, Puebla and Guadalajara.
Chapala is a small beautiful town in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The place has brightly colored, colonial buildings that seem to have stood for ages under the shade of thick trees. There are famous restaurants in Chapala that specialize in seafood. During the tourist season, as well as throughout the year, it is amazing to see how many Americans come to this little town to enjoy the warm weather and traditional foods.
Among the appeals of Chapala are its artisans who sell a variety of traditional crafts. Some do their work in front of the visitors; among them, weavers whose hands move with such ease, it is as if they are interpreting a melody over the multicolor threads of their looms.
Looking just ahead toward the lake Chapala, happy Americans enjoy rides on boats floating over the quiet waters under the command of Mexican sailors. And not all Americans who enjoy the wonders of Chapala and other places in Mexico return to the United States.
Attracted by the warm weather, beautiful scenery, hospitality and affordable living, Americans are choosing to relocate to this country after retirement.
Exclusive developments for senior Americans are becoming ubiquitous. Residents experience quite a different reaction as compared with Mexicans who leave their homes to move to "the north," as the United States is referred to by most Mexicans.
Mexicans who come north face a harsh reality in order to survive. Things are even harder when they try to make the American Dream a reality.
By contrast, most Americans living in Mexico find an ideal place for their retirement years to pass quietly. And, not all who are in the country have legal status.
According to Policarpo Arreola, a retired federal agent, most Americans living in Mexico do not have papers to live in the country. "Americans do not need a visa to enter as tourists into Mexican territory. If they wish to live here, they do need a government permit, but many stay here illegally, and nobody bothers them," Arreola said.
Just as with all borders in the world, the border between Mexico and the United States has two sides. It should not be assumed that the border dynamic is only one-sided.
The writer is a columnist for the Courier-Post. |
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