IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER WITH MEXICO

Supply and Demand

The immigration issue on our southern border is plagued by the same misguided principle as the war on drugs. Both issues focus a disproportionate amount of attention and money on the supply side, as opposed to the demand side. Currently, the U.S. government spends twice as much on enforcement and interdiction, on the war on drugs, as it spends on treatment and prevention. This relationship should be reversed. On our southern border, the U.S. government spends all its resources on interdiction of illegal immigrants and none on treatment. This needs to be changed. We are currently focusing only on eradicating the "supply": The supply of illegal aliens crossing our border. This approach is doomed to failure. It will be as ineffective and costly as the three-decade-old attempt to eradicate the source of drugs in South and Central America. Spending all our resources on fence building and interdiction practices does nothing to turn off a demand, fueled by businesses in the U.S. and a low standard of living in Mexico.

Work Needed – No Questions Asked

Enforcement of laws already on the books would make a big difference in decreasing the demand for illegal aliens. To be sure, there are occasional high profile raids and arrests of businesses and owners who surreptitiously exploit undocumented workers. But we need to make business compliance the number one target. If all businesses followed the existing laws, there would be less incentive for people entering our country illegally in search of work. In addition to strong and consistent enforcement we must also update the existing laws to make enforcement easier. Currently, any undocumented worker can be paid up to $600 without creating a paper trail by either a W-2 or a form 1099. This encourages undocumented workers to continually change names and move from employer to employer. Finally, we must increase the standard of living for all workers involved in activities, which have historically relied on cheap labor. The exploitation of people to perform health crippling, repetitive jobs for wages, below the poverty level, harms our economy in several ways. It artificially subsidizes various service and agricultural industries, it discourages the employment of our own citizens, and it encourages illegal entry of workers from other countries. We need to level the playing field for all businesses to encourage employing legal workers at living wages. Current economic studies indicate that maintaining the present level of poverty among migrant farmworkers saves the average American household about $50 per year. This is hardly worth the long term negative effect on the U.S. economy.

Mexico - The New Promised Land

There are two components to the demand side of the illegal alien problem. One, as just explained, is the demand created from businesses in our country. The other, equally important, is the lack of demand from businesses in Mexico. If Mexico were as affluent as Canada, our illegal border crossings would be a non-issue.
We need to understand that we only have two neighbors. One affluent neighbor, to the north, and one less affluent, to the south. Mexico, the less fortunate clearly needs help from its next door neighbor, the United States. America has a long tradition of people helping its neighbors, going back to the "barn-raisings" of the first settlers.
As part of our "good neighbor" policy, diplomatic activity between the two countries must significantly increase. The focus should be on helping Mexico raise its standard of living. A new administration would create high-profile task forces to work with the Mexican government and find out from them how we can help. We will listen, first, then help in every way we can. It’s the only neighborly thing to do.

An Investment for our Future and our Neighbor’s Future

Some would say we no longer have the funds to institute a Mexican "Marshall Plan", having already mortgaged the futures of then next couple generations on the war in Iraq. It is true that our economy is running on borrowed money. However, investment in Mexico truly represents an investment in our own future. We don’t need fences and we don’t need our armed forces patrolling the border. This is no way to treat a neighbor. We need understanding, commitment and a desire to help our neighbor.
A new administration would make the revitalization of the Mexican economy and infrastructure one of our greatest priorities. Regularly scheduled meetings between both presidents, of Mexico and the U.S., would be held on a weekly basis – in person or by conference call. This may seem like a lot of attention for one country, but if you don’t have time to help your own neighbor, how can you possibly take the first step towards becoming a force for good in the world?
Ultimately, Mexicans will perceive their own country as the "promised land". The result will be reduced illegal immigration and a significant savings in resources that would have been directed in a "can’t win" attempt at building a fortress wall between the U.S and all its neighbors to the south. We have prosperity in our country. We need to help Mexico achieve the same.