HispanicVista Columnists
To Slow the Flow
By Richard N.
Baldwin T.
The "flow" is undocumented
Mexicans crossing our northern border into the United States. And right at
the start, let's agree on one thing: A sovereign country has the right, if
not the obligation, to control its own borders. And no matter what México
says about the subject, we (México) have our own problems on our southern
border. Not only are crossings being made by those on the way to the US
across México, there are others. Drugs coming from South America on its way
to the US market and organized gang members from Central America
establishing bases to wreak havoc within México. So the US is not alone with
a "southern border" problem.
I was watching a discussion between a widely watched US cable news
commentator and a representative of an immigration issues think tank
recently. The commentator's position, as it has long been, is to militarize
the southern border. Put the National Guard on the border and solve the
problem in a few months. While the guest agreed with the need for better
border control, he kept saying that there are problems in not only the
immigration laws, but also the interior of the US. On the latter, the
commentator ignored him. Maybe someone should point out to the commentator
that there is no disposable National Guard in the US now. Something about a
war in Iraq. It would take a deployment of one soldier for every 25 yards
for more than 1,500 miles with the necessary support to really "seal" the
border. You do the math.
On the other hand, to ask México to run a Soviet style prison country
is a little absurd. And the basic principals of the free trade "Washington
Consensus" idea are the free movement of goods, commerce and people
(workers) between countries.
The guest tried to get across that there are more problems than just
the border. It is the engine that drives this mass migration that has to be
addressed. From the Mexican side it is the continual inability to organize
an economy that provides meaningful jobs for its people. It has always
proved easier to just let the northern border "safety valve" solve our own
problems. And it has gotten to the point that if the "remittances" were to
stop ($15 billion for 2004); México would collapse both politically and
economically overnight. The idea of México in chaos across the border from
the US is something to think about.
But we are talking about a two-cylinder engine here. Where are all
these illegals going in the US? Contrary to what the intellectually
challenged believe, they are not all joining the dole lines in the US. In
fact, the vast majority are working. They are doing useful things and
getting paid for it. Where does that $15 billion come from? This ain't dole
money passed on. This is from people working for lower wages than others in
the US and are still able to send a portion "home" to their families. But,
on the other hand mister commentator, if there were no work for them in the
US, the flow would stop wouldn't it? But that would also drive up the cost
of almost everything in the US that has found a means of "increasing
productivity" with illegals.
The US politicians need to really look at what is going on in their own
country. There are a lot of ways to give order to immigrant labor, but it is
going to be a tough, if not impossible, battle to do it. It would look like
President Bush does not even have the support of his own party on this. The
free flow of labor between trading partners to be able to use the best
people for the job is critical for a truly successful trade agreement. Take
a good look at the NAFTA agreement. That free labor flow idea is in there .
. . but never implemented. Sounds like what we do here in México . . .
write nice looking laws and agreements, but never implement them.
And back to the southern end of the problem, which is even bigger. The
only thing that the movers and shakers here can understand is to keep
pushing for the lowest earnings possible for our working class. This ignores
that when you have a working class who can afford the products they are
making, you build the internal engine for a prosperous country ... one that
can be more meaningful with its trading partners.
In this matter, the US could be helpful in revising the Washington
Consensus to allow for countries to develop real internal economies. Note
that further south, the countries that now seem to be doing the best are
those who have "modified" or ignored the Consensus idea. Look at Argentina
and Brazil. And México should also listen to Carlos Slim, Latin America's
most wealthy man. He is pushing the same thing. Washington could do a little
"encouraging" here that might do some good. But as it is, México will just
sit back and let the "safety valve" solve our problems.
To the commentator we point out that simple solutions will never solve
the problem. And if the US could seal the border against illegals, why can't
they stop dope?
_______________________________________________
Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/)
contributing columnist, lives in
Tlalnepantla,
Edo
de México. E-mail at:
R1041643422@aol.com