Hitting The Ground With Both Feet Running

 

     As our new guy on the block, President Felipe Calderón, approaches his first 100 days in office, it would look like he has learned a great political lesson that his predecessor, Vicente Fox, could never grasp: At the beginning of a new administration, you seize the initiative and maintain it. If you don't, the great plans that you will do after you are elected are going to be lost. For the most part, that is what happened to the Fox administration. Instead of leading the country, he was constantly reacting to the opposition.

     One of the first areas that Calderón has addressed are human rights issues along with a modern workable legal and enforcement system. And Calderón seems to have learned that you have to work with the congress to get this done.

     But Calderón is not through yet, not by a long shot. Two things happened in the beginning of March. There was a particularly disgusting case of a gang rape and the resulting death of a 73 year-old woman in Veracruz State. The perpetrators are members of the Mexican army. And if you remember, the military in México is one of the most impune organizations in the country. Even a month ago, nothing other than a cover up would have happened. But now, the perps have been arrested and are held by the civilian authorities. This is something very new for México.

     More interesting is the plan launched by Calderón for (are you ready for this?) comprehensive immigration reform. This is for México, not the US where this idea is still stalled after six years. Little backward México is going to undertake a comprehensive reform that so far has eluded our northern cousins.

     Make no mistake about it; there is a real problem here on this issue.

     There is a human rights issue in the abuse of illegal migrants from the south crossing our porous southern border. It is one thing for México to complain about abuses of our nationals in the US, but México has finally woken up to the fact that México has to clean up their own act before complaining about what others do. Among steps to be taken is to build better and more functional detention facilities. Also to really crack down on corruption in both the army and the border security forces while giving them the manpower to really do the job.

     Not all of these migrants are simply passing through México to go further north. México has a temporary worker visa program in force for around 40,000 annual workers from Guatemala for our sugar harvest. This number is out of reality for that alone. On top of this, further north in our farm sector, migration of the younger farm workers to the US has left México in a position of not having the labor to feed itself. The visa numbers and process has to be brought up to date.

     And there is the security issue. To you in the US I ask where do you think those Mara 13 gang members come from? The foundations of this movement came out of Los Angeles gang activity and most were deported back to Central America. Now they are moving north again through México. The trouble is that they are also being used by the drug cartels as enforcers here in México. Some go on to the US, but some stay in México to help fuel the ongoing national drug war. If you recall, México is loosing over 2,000 people killed a year in this war. I should also point out that this war is being fueled by US money from the extremely lucrative drug market up there. But I won't get into this now. But the enormous drug flow through México is a national security issue here. In cases where the drug flow is compromised, those drugs are simply sold in México. We have a growing dope addiction problem in Mexico. We need this like we need a hole in the head.

     So, México has border and illegal immigration problems. A porous southern border. Lack of funding and trained manpower to do the job right. A visa system that is out of reality to present needs. Illegal drug flow with all of the money fueling it. Does any of this sound familiar?

     The point is that México is going to make a real try to address the problem. And the main point is that we are taking the comprehensive approach to do this. It is the only way.

     Are you listening Messrs. Tancredo, Sensenbruner, and Hunter? México may very well come up with a working solution to this issue while you up north continue to blow hot air.

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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